STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2746

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2833

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2833 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SUSTAINABILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to address the long range issues critical to Hawaii's way of life and natural resources by enacting the Hawaii 2050 sustainability plan.

     More specifically, the measure:

(1)  Sets forth and adopts the Hawaii 2050 sustainability plan as a new chapter under title 13, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(2)  Establishes a sustainability council to coordinate, implement, measure, and evaluate the progress of the Hawaii 2050 sustainability plan and its related progress; and

(3)  Appropriates funds for the creation of the council.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Sustainability Task Force, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the Aloha United Way, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, the Hawaii Science and Technology Council, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Association, the National Association of Social Workers, Actus Lend Lease, God's Country Waimanalo, and five private individuals.  Three private individuals submitted comments.  Testimony opposing the measure was submitted by the Office of the Governor, the Hawaii Business Roundtable, and three private individuals.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that five of the nine public members of the Sustainability Council initially appointed shall be members of the Hawaii 2050 sustainability task force;

     (2)  Clarifying that the five members of each advisory committee shall not be council members;

     (3)  Clarifying when the council's first annual report will be due; and

     (4)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2833, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2833, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair