STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3502

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1872

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 Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1872, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SUSTAINABILITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to recognize that game mammals and game birds provide a food source;

(2) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to recognize that striking an appropriate balance between the management of game mammal and game bird populations and sustainability of their natural habitats to reduce negative impacts to important watershed areas is a priority;

(3) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to recognize that the State's unique relationship with the ocean requires careful consideration and management of land and ocean activities that prioritize the public trust responsibilities of the State; and

(4) Require each department, office, or agency of the State to update its rules and policies to integrate the local hunting and fishing industries into any food security or sustainability strategies that department, office, or agency employs.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; Good Shepherd Foundation; Hawaii Sportsmen's Alliance; Wailoa River and Reeds Bay Boater and User Association Inc.; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Hawaii Firearms Coalition; Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association; Hawaii County Game Management Advisory Commission; Native Hawaiian Gathering Rights Association; and six individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committees find that it is important to balance the management of game populations with the sustainability of their natural habitats to reduce negative impacts to significant watershed areas. Hunting game mammals and birds is an accepted generational practice that helps many local families and individuals supplement their food supply. If game and bird populations are left unmanaged, they can contribute to environmental degradation to both farmland and the natural environment. However, game mammals are also a first line of defense against wildfires that can destroy native trees and cause the growth of additional invasive plants. This measure will help guide the Department of Land and Natural Resources to balance hunting with the management of healthy ecosystems.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have required the Department of Land and Natural Resources to recognize that adverse effects to the environment are sufficiently minimized or offset through native ecosystem protections; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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 H.B. No. 1872, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1872, 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 Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair