STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1224

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   S.B. No. 774

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 774, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF TARO,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to improve protections for wetland taro lands and related historic agricultural structures by:

 

(1)  Adding to the Board of Land and Natural Resources' (Board) Intensive Agricultural Use classification of public lands, a Fourth Class—Taro Lands classification comprising undeveloped public lands in the land use conservation district that were in wetland taro cultivation prior to statehood or traditional taro lands that retain historic structural evidence of wetland taro lands; and

 

(2)  Authorizing and appropriating funds for the Board, in conjunction with the Taro Security and Purity Task Force, to create an inventory of Fourth Class—Taro Lands.

 

     The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Aha Moku Advisory Committee, Hawaii Land Restoration Institute, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Taro Security and Purity Task Force, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Kalihi Palama Hawaiian Civic Club, and numerous individuals provided testimony in support of the measure.  The Department of Agriculture, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and an individual provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Deleting the Fourth Class-Taro Lands classification from the Intensive Agricultural Use classification of public lands;

 

(2)  Requiring the Board, in conjunction with the Taro Security and Purity Task Force, to create an inventory of taro lands; and

 

     (3)  Requiring the Board to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature before the 2016 Regular Session.

 

     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 S.B. No. 774, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 774, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair