STAND. COM. REP. NO. 396

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1311

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Water, Land, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1311 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FEES FOR HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Authorize the Department of Land and Natural Resources to collect fees to cover the technical assistance program costs associated with developing, reviewing, and monitoring habitat conservation plans; and

 

     (2)  Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to adopt rules for establishing the fees.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Earthjustice.

 

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii has over three hundred eighty threatened or endangered species.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources is responsible for issuing incidental take licenses and evaluating, processing, and approving habitat conservation plans to help protect threatened and endangered species.  Often times, landowners request assistance from the Department in developing these plans.  This process is very technical in nature and labor intensive.  This measure will allow the Department of Land and Natural Resources to collect fees to cover the program costs associated with helping landowners in the development, review, and monitoring of habitat conservation plans.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency. 

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1311, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1311, 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 Housing,

 

 

 

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair