HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

227

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources to submit a financial report on the costs of managing Wao kele O puna.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2007, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs acquired the 25,856-acre Wao Kele O Puna, also known as the Puna Forest Reserve, which is located on the Island of Hawaii and is the largest intact lowland rainforest in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, the acquisition of Wao Kele O Puna was intended to protect and preserve for future generations the natural beauty and cultural resources of the forest; and

 

     WHEREAS, Wao Kele O Puna is a trove of resources for Hawaiian traditional practices and a safe haven for native flora and fauna; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources manages the Wao Kele O Puna forest on behalf of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which pays the department $228,000 each year for the costs of managing the land; and

 

     WHEREAS, a financial report setting forth the costs of managing Wao Kele O Puna since its acquisition by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs would promote transparency, ensure that expenditures are being made prudently, and help determine the sufficiency of current funding; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to submit a financial report for fiscal years 2006 through 2013 detailing the following for each fiscal year:

 

     (1)  All amounts received from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the management of Wao Kele O Puna;

 

     (2)  All expenditures made to manage Wao Kele O Puna, including the purpose of each expenditure; and

 

     (3)  The amount remaining on balance for the management of Wao Kele O Puna at the close of the fiscal year; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to submit the financial report to all legislators no later than September 30, 2014; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

DLNR Financial Report on Management Costs for Wao Kele O Puna