STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 195
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 491
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 491 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND LEASES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to prohibit
the State from leasing any public lands, or extending the lease of any public
lands, to any individual, corporation, or federal agency that is not in good
standing with the State or that has not met all financial, contractual, and
legal obligations.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; Chamber of Sustainable Commerce; The
Queens Court; Kai Law, LLC; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of
Hawai‘i; Kupuna for the Moopuna; Ka Lahui Hawai‘i;
Kuleana Ka ‘Aina; Greenpeace Hawaii; Hawai‘i
Alliance for Progressive Action; California-Pacific Conference of the United
Methodist Church; and numerous individuals.
Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of
Land and Natural Resources.
Your
Committee finds that this measure upholds responsible stewardship by
prohibiting the leasing or renewal of public lands to entities not in good
standing and providing a framework for enforcing compliance, thereby ensuring
that public resources are managed in a fair, lawful, and sustainable manner.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Specifying that no lease of public lands, or
extension of the lease of any public lands, shall be to individuals,
corporations, or federal agencies that have been found to be in violation of
federal or state laws aimed at protecting the environment, instead of convicted
of a crime;
(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider whether to expand the vendor compliance reporting requirement to include a method of reporting outstanding debts to other agencies.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 491, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 491, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,
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____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair |