STAND. COM. REP. NO. 331

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1897

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 1897 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND CONSERVATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require twenty-five per cent of the real estate conveyance tax collected to be deposited into the land conservation fund and allows grants to state agencies, counties, and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire interest in lands having a value as a resource to the State.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a Hawaii County Council member, County of Maui Department of Water Supply, Conservation Council for Hawai'i, Enterprise Honolulu, Hawaii Agriculture Resource Center, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, the Nature Conservancy, Oahu Conservation Partnership, Pahala Plantation Cottages, Rocky Mountain Institute, Sierra Club, the Trust for Public Land, and thirty-eight individuals.

Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Taxation and Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii. Comments were also submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's natural resources are vital to the State's economy, culture, and quality of life. However, there is very little funding allocated to protect and

manage Hawaii's precious natural and cultural assets. Thus, this measure provides a better-equipped funding mechanism for land conservation and allows grants to acquire interest in lands having a value as a resource to the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure to make technical, nonsubstantive stylistic changes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1897, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1897, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair