STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3657

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1554

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1554, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AQUATIC RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Expand the Department of Land and Natural Resources' rulemaking authority to include any rule to impose restrictions or requirements deemed necessary to protect certain aquatic life; and

(2) Expand the Board of Land and Natural Resources' authority to temporarily adopt, amend, or repeal certain natural resource rules by formal action at a publicly noticed meeting if the Board finds that such adoption, amendment, or repeal is necessary to implement effective and adaptive management measures in light of newly available technology, or in light of newly available data.

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

Your Committee finds that pursuant to section 187A-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Department) is mandated to manage and administer the aquatic life and aquatic resources of the State. Although the Department currently uses a variety of existing management tools, such as size limits, bag limits, closed seasons, gear restrictions, and permitting of specific gear to regulate the State's fisheries through the adoption of administrative rules, your Committee believes that broadening the suite of management tools will allow more effective management of the State's aquatic resources. This measure will therefore better equip the Department to effectively manage aquatic resources statewide.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making it effective upon its approval; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1554, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1554, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair