STAND. COM. REP. NO.  500

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 437

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 437 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE NATURAL RESOURCE GOALS OF THE ALOHA+ CHALLENGE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support the natural resource management goal of the Aloha+ Challenge by making appropriations for projects undertaken in accordance with watershed management plans and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council; for equipment for fire, natural disaster, and emergency response; and for forest and outdoor recreation improvement.

The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Oahu Invasive Species Committee, Hawaii Farm Bureau, the Friends of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Conservation Council of Hawaii, Hawaii Green Growth, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources submitted comments.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that within the natural resource management goal of the Aloha+ Challenge, community-based marine management must also be scientifically justified; and

     (2)  Deleting the amounts of all appropriations to facilitate further discussion.

     Should your Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating the following sums for the following purposes:

     (1)  $4,000,000 for projects undertaken in accordance with watershed management plans;

     (2)  $6,000,000 for projects undertaken in accordance with the Hawaii Invasive Species Council;

     (3)  $1,500,000 for equipment for fire, natural disaster, and emergency response; and

     (4)  $1,000,000 for forest and outdoor recreation improvement.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 437, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 437, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land,

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair

____________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair