STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2380

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2149

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2149 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PERMITS,"

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 approve or deny any license or permit application relating to aquaculture within ninety days from the date submitted; and

(2) Appropriate an unspecified amount of funds for the establishment of two full-time equivalent positions within the Division of Aquatic Resources to support the review process of these applications.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Aquaculture and Aquaponics Association, Kowa Premium Foods Hawaii Corporation, and three individuals.

Your Committees find that aquaculture not only has the potential to reduce fishing pressure on stressed food stocks and lead to the recovery of over-exploited native fish and invertebrate species, but also can be an integral part of local food production and security in the State. However, the lengthy processing time of aquaculture-related permit and license applications, due to the complexity of certain applications and lack of dedicated full-time permanent staff, poses a hardship on applicants. This measure would facilitate the timely review of these applications and the issuance of permits and licenses necessary for aquaculture-related activities in the State.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an appropriation amount of $225,000.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2149, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2149, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair