STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1135

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1521

S.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 Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1521, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SUSTAINABLE LAND USE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to facilitate planning for the future use of agricultural lands in the State.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to create an integrated land use study for lands within the agricultural district; and

(2) Requires the Hawaii State Energy Office, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, and Hawaii Tourism Authority to update various state functional plans; and

(3) Appropriates moneys for the study and functional plan updates.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, State Land Use Commission, Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaii Gas, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Ulupono Initiative, Hawaii Forest Industry Association, and Climate Protectors Hawaii.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Your Committee finds that the creation of an integrated land use study that incorporates information and goals from other studies and reports will help the State make decisions on the future use of agricultural lands. However, your Committee acknowledges that this measure may be overly ambitious as presently drafted, and that the scope may need to be narrowed as it moves through the legislative process.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making a clarifying edit to the purpose section, as recommended by the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1521, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1521, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair