STAND. COM. REP. NO. 174-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1766

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. 1766 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the State Parks Special Fund expenditure ceiling to $12,000,000 to allow the State Parks System to use and reinvest the revenues derived from out-of-state visitors to improve the quality and timeliness of maintenance, management, and public safety at state parks throughout Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and The Friends of Iolani Palace.

Your Committee finds that the State Park System, which enables residents and visitors alike to connect with nature and experience the islands' unique historical and cultural heritage, is one of the twenty most visited parks systems yet one of the six most poorly funded systems in the United States. Your Committee further finds that following the brief hiatus of public use of state parks during the COVID-19 pandemic, a robust return of visitor arrivals in 2021 and additional revenue from state parks due to increased user fees are anticipated to yield over $12,000,000 in revenue by the end of fiscal year 2022. By increasing the expenditure ceiling of the State Parks Special Fund, this measure will provide greater financial resources to maintain, preserve, and protect Hawaii's state parks.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

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

(2) 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. 1766, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1766, 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