STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1515

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1332

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1332, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO IRRIGATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to maintain and improve the Peekauai Ditch Irrigation System on the island of Kauai.

Your Committee received written comments in support of the measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Land Use Research Foundation, and Hawaii Crop Improvement Association.

Your Committee finds that access to a reliable source of water is a critical element for productive farming and ranching, particularly in times of drought.  Additionally, a reliable source of water can be the determining factor for a farmer deciding whether to begin new ventures or expand existing operations.  Appropriating funds to maintain and improve the Peekauai Ditch Irrigation System on Kauai will encourage the growth of Hawaii's agricultural community and promote food security and self-sufficiency.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Clarifying that the Peekauai Ditch Irrigation System is located on the island of Kauai; and

(2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2051, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

     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 H.B. No. 1332, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1332, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair