STAND. COM. REP. NO. 504-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1660

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1660 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to adopt recommendations from the Act 90 Working Group regarding agricultural multi-use lands. Specifically, this measure:

(1) Specifies that agricultural multi-use lands under the management of the Department of Land and Natural Resources are not subject to transfer to and management by the Department of Agriculture;

(2) Requires the Board of Land and Natural Resources to revise the Board's land classifications to include agricultural multi-use lands; and

(3) Establishes and funds an Agricultural Multi-Use Lands Specialist position within the Land Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources to facilitate collaborative working relationships and leverage funding sources to support natural land stewardship, reforestation, and other public purposes on agricultural multi-use lands.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Ulupono Initiative; Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Kapapala Ranch; Local Food Coalition; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; Ponoholo Ranch Limited; Hawaii Meats; Hawaii Sustainable Beef; and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that Act 139, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, established the Act 90 Working Group to determine the process, status, challenges, and potential remedies regarding the transfer of non-agricultural park lands to fulfill the purposes of Act 90. The Act 90 Working Group determined that certain agricultural lands under the Department of Land and Natural Resources have multiple management objectives that clearly fall within the Department of Land and Natural Resources' purview and mission and that these multi-use lands should remain under the management of the Department.  The Working Group also found that collaborative working relationships between the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and lessees of multi-use agricultural lands can have many public value benefits, including food production, conservation, and natural resources management.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Placing the Agricultural Multi-Use Lands Specialist in the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, rather than the Land Division, of the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1660, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1660, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair