STAND. COM. REP. NO. 516

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1432

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1432 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE LAND CONSERVATION FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide increased funding for land conservation by removing the annual dollar amount cap on the annual collections from the conveyance tax to the land conservation fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of the Auditor.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's natural resources are invaluable to its economy, culture, and quality of life, but an alarmingly small amount of money is invested each year to protect the State's natural capital base. Your Committee also finds that there is a clear nexus between the source of the conveyance tax and providing funding for land conservation since the development, sale, and improvement of real estate in Hawaii creates additional pressure on natural areas, coastal access, agricultural production, and water resources and watershed recharge areas.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation from the land conservation fund for the 2019-2021 fiscal biennium to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for resource land acquisition;

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1432, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1432, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair