STAND. COM. REP. NO.  190-14

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1902

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1902 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUNTING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to ensure that there is no net loss of public hunting areas throughout the State by prohibiting the Department of Land and Natural Resources from reducing the total acreage of designated areas on each island and requiring the Department to designate replacement land if the Department makes public hunting area land unavailable.

 

     The Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Hawaii Rifle Association, Hawaii Sportsmen Alliance, the National Rifle Association of America, Hawaii Chapter, National Wild Turkey Federation, Kaupo Wildlife Club, and many individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The Conservation Council for Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, and Sierra Club of Hawaii submitted testimony in opposition.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Hawaii County Council member representing District 3, Hawaii Game Management Advisory Council, Earthjustice, The Hawaii Hunting Association, and several individuals submitted comments.


     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the date for establishing the baseline net acreage to be preserved as public hunting area to January 1, 2014;

 

     (2)  Clarifying that the Department of Land and Natural Resources shall designate equivalent state land to replace land in a public hunting area that becomes unavailable for any reason and specifying criteria for the replacement land; and

 

     (3)  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 that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1902, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1902, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CINDY EVANS, Chair