STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3946

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1179

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1179, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a pilot program within the Aina Mauna legacy program of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to remove and harvest gorse from Mauna Kea and to develop it as a marketable product to expand economic opportunities for native Hawaiians.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Hawaii Forest Industry Association.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that utilizing gorse to produce marketable products will allow the State to create unique economic opportunities for native Hawaiians and will help mitigate an aggressive invasive species.

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 H.B. No. 1179, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1179, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair