STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2351

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3251

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3251 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUNTING GUIDES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require that hunting guides obtain written permission from private landowners or other appropriate person before taking their clients to hunt on those private lands; and

(2) Require hunting guides to provide copies of those written permission documents to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that guided hunting tours assist in the management of game populations, provide a living wage for hunting guides, and support Hawaii's economy. As the popularity of guided hunting tours have increased, some irresponsible hunting guides have guided their clients to hunt on private lands without the permission of landowners, who have witnessed unknown individuals walking on their land with guns or other weapons. While current law requires hunters to obtain permission to hunt on private land, hunting guides often lie to clients, leading to disagreements, allegations of trespassing, and damage to the guided hunting tour industry. To address systemic issues regarding hunting on private properties, this measure requires hunting guides to obtain written permission prior to hunts on private land and provide copies of the written permission to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3251, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3251, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair