STAND. COM. REP. NO. 584-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2395

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2395 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROTECTION OF FOREST RESERVES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect forest reserves by:

(1) Establishing administrative penalties and corresponding enforcement powers of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) for violations of the forest reserve, water development, and zoning law; and

(2) Increasing and establishing additional criminal fines for the harm or removal of any timber, young tree growth, or products of tree growth on lands in state forest reserves, except as authorized by law or by permission from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

DLNR, the Conservation Council for Hawaii, Nature Conservancy, and Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter supported this bill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Clarifying that:

(A) The additional administrative fines for destroying or harvesting trees or plants of a certain size apply to timber trespass in forest reserves; and

(B) The administrative penalties and BLNR enforcement powers also apply to violations of licenses issued under the forest reserve, water development, and zoning law;

and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2395, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2395, H.D. 1.

 

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

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair