STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3111

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2271

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 2271, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NON-AGRICULTURAL PARK LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide the Board of Agriculture full authority to manage, develop, and dispose of non-agricultural park lands.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture; Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery, Inc.; the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center; the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Quality Turfgrass; and the Waimanalo Agricultural Association. Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by one individual.

Your Committee finds that in 2003, Chapter 166E, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), was enacted to transfer the management of certain agriculturally classified public lands from the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture. Currently, the Department of Agriculture is in the process of adopting rules to implement this program.

However, your Committee further finds that the Department of Agriculture believes that Chapter 166E, HRS, fails to provide the parameters of its powers necessary to properly manage transferred non-agricultural park lands. Accordingly, this measure provides the Department of Agriculture with the authority to properly manage, develop, and dispose of non-agricultural park lands.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making extensive technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

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 H.B. No. 2271, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2271, H.D. 1, 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