STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1276

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 819

H.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 819, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LIMU KALA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to designate Limu Kala (Sargassum echinocarpum) as the official Hawaii state limu.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Limu Hui of Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo, Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo, Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea, Mālama Limu Club of Kamehamea Schools, Hui Maka‘ainana O Makana, and seven individuals.

Your Committee finds that limu plays a critical role in the State's natural environment and its cultural significance to Hawaii's people. While the term "limu" includes a broad range of organisms such as moss and lichen, limu kala is a species that grows in brackish environments where streams or springs connect to river mouths or estuaries, eventually connecting to the ocean. This measure recognizes the importance of limu kala in cultural and scientific settings while also raising awareness of all limu species across the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 819, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

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CHRIS LEE, Chair