STAND. COM. REP. NO. 486

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 693

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 693 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE TRANSFER OF NON-AGRICULTURAL PARK LANDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to meet and identify the non-agricultural park lands that should be rezoned as those in the conservation district;

(2) Require that agricultural lands under the jurisdiction of DLNR be transferred to the DOA no later than December 31, 2023;

(3) Require the DLNR and DOA to meet every five years to discuss transferring remaining lands; and

(4) Require the DOA to inquire about any easements needed by DLNR before offering a lease.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; Maui County Farm Bureau; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Hawaii Crop Improvement Association; Local Food Coalition; Ulupono Initiative; Hawaii Aquaculture and Aquaponics Association; Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii; Kapapala Ranch; Jay's Hog Farm; Ponoholo Ranch Limited; Larry Jefts Farms, LLC; MauiGrown Coffee, Inc.; Ulupalakua Ranch; Hawaii Meats LLC; and twenty individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and one individual.

Your Committees find that this measure facilitates the transfer of certain non-agricultural park lands from DLNR to DOA pursuant to Act 90, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003, and chapter 166E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, regarding non-agricultural park lands.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the easements required by DLNR in this measure are easements to access landlocked forest reserves or other DLNR assets; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 693, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 693, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair