CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO.75-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2145

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2145, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL TOURISM,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this bill is to promote agricultural tourism and facilitate the use of farm lands for this purpose by:

(1) Making qualifying agricultural tourism activities a permitted use in the agricultural district;

(2) Requiring counties to adopt ordinances to regulate agricultural tourism before these activities are allowed in the county;

(3) Prohibiting the establishment of overnight accommodations for agricultural tourism activities; and

(4) Requiring an environmental assessment for actions that propose the use of state or county lands for the purposes of conducting agricultural tourism.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Giving the counties the discretion to require an environmental assessment as a condition to any agricultural tourism use;

(2) Clarifying that agricultural tourism activity cannot interfere with surrounding farm operations; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2145, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2145, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair

________________________________

EZRA R. KANOHO, Co-Chair

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Co-Chair

________________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Co-Chair

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Co-Chair

________________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Co-Chair

________________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Co-Chair