STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3115

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2668

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2668, S.D. 1, 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 additional resources to preserve and protect the State's legacy lands.

Specifically, the measure:

(1) Increases the percentage of the revenues of the land conservation fund that may be used for costs related to the operation, maintenance, and management of lands acquired by way of the fund;

(2) Increases the maximum dollar amount of the conveyance tax distributed annually to the land conservation fund; and

(3) Appropriates moneys from the land conservation fund for resource land acquisition.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, The Trust for Public Land, Ke Ao Halii (Save the Hana Coast), and one individual.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the State dedicates ten percent of the annual revenue from real estate conveyance taxes to the land conservation fund, subject to an annual statutorily-imposed maximum of $6,800,00. Each year, the Legislature provides the Legacy Land Conservation Program with some of the money in the fund, and this money is then distributed through grants for land and conservation purposes. Your Committee therefore finds merit in increasing moneys available to the fund and appropriating moneys from the fund for land acquisition.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, 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 S.B. No. 2668, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2668, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair