STAND. COM. REP. NO. 77

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 935

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 935 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MARINE ENFORCEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for the position of a public information officer to assist the conservation and resource enforcement program.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in opposition to this measure.

Your Committee finds that the conservation and resource enforcement program has only one hundred full time officers and that pressing enforcement needs make it difficult for the officers to respond to concerns and provide information to the public.

Your Committee is supportive of the intent of this measure to provide additional assistance to the officers in interactions with the public, marine policy managers, and marine educators in protecting Hawaii's ocean resources.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 935 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair