STAND. COM. REP. 7

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 161

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 161 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE EAST KAUAI IRRIGATION SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to address the operational crisis developing at the East Kauai Irrigation System (System) by appropriating $100,000 for each of fiscal years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 for the operation and maintenance of the System.

The Office of Economic Development of the County of Kauai, East Kauai Water User's Cooperative, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and the Kauai County Farm Bureau testified in support of this measure. The Department of Agriculture and the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) testified in support of the intent of this bill.

Your Committee finds that the ADC should be the expending agency of the funds to be appropriated, inasmuch as ADC has been involved in the project to ensure the operation and maintenance of the System since the Legislature appropriated funds for those purposes in 2001. Further, your Committee finds that the membership of users contributing to the support of the System is increasing and the future self-sufficiency is a reasonable expectation.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by making ADC the expending agency of the funds appropriated.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 161, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 161, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Agriculture.

 

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

 

____________________________

EZRA R. KANOHO, Chair