STAND. COM. REP. NO. 500

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 361

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 361 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE GREEN JOBS YOUTH CORPS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the continuation of the Green Jobs Youth Corps.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawai‘i Energy, Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo, Kupu, The Nature Conservancy, Holomua Collective, Re-use Hawai‘i, 350Hawaii.org, HPM Building Supply, Hawaii Green Fee Coalition, and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the Green Jobs Youth Corps Program provides employment and training opportunities for young adults in conservation, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, and other sustainability-related industries. Initiated in 2020, the Program provides approximately one hundred workforce or training opportunities each year. This measure will continue the Program and provide further opportunities for emerging professionals to gain skills related to natural resource management.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests that your Committee on Finance, should it choose to deliberate on this matter, to consider an appropriation amount of $5,000,000 to continue the Green Jobs Youth Corps.

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. 361, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 361, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair