STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1249

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1276

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1276, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE PARKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt, amend, and repeal administrative fee schedules for the Division of State Parks within the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) by formal board action at a publicly noticed meeting rather than through administrative rulemaking; and

(2) Make an appropriation from the State Parks Special Fund for the administration of the state parks program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hui Maka‘āinana o Makana, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that adaptive management strategies, such as dynamic pricing, have become the standard in many places and travel-related industries. This measure would allow DLNR to replace its rigid pricing models with flexible fee schedules, allowing seasonal fee adjustments to be made without constantly undergoing a cumbersome administrative approval process pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes. According to testimony received by your Committee, DLNR will consult with the Small Business Regulatory Review Board before implementing fees that would affect small businesses.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Board of Land and Natural Resources has broad discretion to adopt, amend, or repeal administrative fee schedules for all state park user fees; and

(2) 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 H.B. No. 1276, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1276, H.D. 1, 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,

________________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair