STAND. COM. REP. NO. 212________

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1379
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B.
No. 1379 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of the bill is to allow owners of agricultural
properties to subdivide their lands into parcels of not less than
50 acres for intensive agricultural purposes.

     A representative of the Kamehameha Schools Bernice Pauahi
Bishop Estate submitted testimony in support of the measure.

     Representatives of the Board of Agriculture, the Hawaii Farm
Bureau, the Office of Planning, Department of Business, Economic
Development, and Tourism, and the Department of Planning and
Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu submitted testimony
supporting the intent and purpose of the bill, but raised some
concerns.

     Representatives of the Department of Water, County of Kauai
and the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter submitted testimony in
opposition to the measure.

     Your Committee finds that allowing subdivisions for
intensive agricultural purposes will encourage the productive use
of farmland.


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 212________
                                 Page 2

 
     Your Committee has amended the measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying the process for submitting a file plan of
          the proposed intensive agricultural subdivision; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
1379, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1379, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Water and Land Use.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Agriculture,



                                   ______________________________
                                   FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair