STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2676

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3171

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 3171 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE GREEN ENVIRONMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Include objectives and policies and implementation guidelines for planning for the lei of green in the Hawaii State Planning Act; and

(2) Appropriate funds for costs associated with researching, compiling, and submitting the status report on the lei of green policy.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, O‘ahu Island Parks Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, Life of the Land, Trees for Honolulu's Future, and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning.

Your Committees find that the lei of green was first brought forth by the renowned national planner Lewis Mumford to benefit the Territory of Hawaii, as a plan to link Honolulu's green parks, open space, recreation areas, and greenways mauka to makai along the shoreline, interconnected with tree-lined pedestrian paths for shade and climate control. While your Committees understand the importance of focusing the lei of green in the urban area of Honolulu from Diamond Head to Aloha Tower, your Committees believe that a lei of green plan should be considered at a statewide level.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Incorporating proposed changes from the Office of Planning by inserting language that extends the reporting requirement of the lei of green policy, including any proposed legislation, to twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2022;

(2) Incorporating proposed changes from the Office of Planning by inserting a $400,000 appropriation amount;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2020; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3171, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3171, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair