THE SENATE

KA AHA KENEKOA

 

THE THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2024

 

COMMITTEE ON WATER AND LAND

Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair

Senator Brandon J.C. Elefante, Vice Chair

 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

Senator Mike Gabbard, Chair

Senator Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Vice Chair

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

 

DATE:

Monday, February 5, 2024

TIME:

1:15 PM

PLACE:

Conference Room 229 & Videoconference

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

TIMESLOT:

WTL

 

 

PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL

BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY

 

The Legislature is accepting written, videoconference, and in-person testimony at public hearings.

A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.

 

 

A G E N D A

 

SB 2960

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO FARMERS.

Requires that lessees and purchasers of farm lots and ranch lots use that land for farming and producing food.  Authorizes agricultural cooperatives to apply for farmlands.

 

WTL/AEN, JDC

SB 3161

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE CONSERVATION OF THREATENED SPECIES.

Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to issue temporary threatened species licenses and draft administrative rules for the conservation of threatened species.

 

WTL/AEN, JDC

SB 3338

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO WATER.

Establishes a WAI policy coordinator and other positions within the Department of Land and Natural Resources for coordination of Red Hill WAI initiatives.  Creates the Red Hill remediation special fund.  Appropriates funds.

 

WTL/AEN, WAM/JDC

SB 3339

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE RED HILL REMEDIATION AUTHORITY.

Establishes the Red Hill remediation authority.  Creates the Red Hill remediation special fund.

 

WTL/AEN, WAM/JDC

SB 2184

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO ADAPTATION PATHWAYS PLANNING.

Expands the authority of the State and counties to develop adaptation pathways plans to modify and relocate infrastructure away from critically threatened areas to locations outside sea level rise and coastal flooding exposure areas.  Appropriates funds.

 

WTL/AEN, WAM

SB 3300

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT.

Requires county planning commissions, county councils, and designated authorities on coastal zone management to seek to minimize, where reasonable, any risk to development from sea level rise and other coastal hazards.

 

WTL/AEN, WAM

SB 2373

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO IRRIGATION.

Authorizes the director of finance to issue general obligation bonds to finance capital improvements to various irrigation systems.

 

AEN/WTL, WAM

SB 2596

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL LANDS.

Clarifies that the Land Use Commission's decision-making for the adoption of county maps for the designation of important agricultural lands shall be through a rulemaking proceeding.  Establishes an incentive that allows farm cluster housing on important agricultural lands under certain conditions and requires permitting agencies to establish a priority processing procedure for the farm cluster housings.  Repeals existing law that governs farm dwellings and employee housing on important agricultural lands.

 

AEN/WTL, JDC/WAM

SB 2575

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Prohibits the mining, extraction, and removal of minerals from the seabed in all state marine waters, under certain conditions.  Prohibits the issuance of any permit for or in connection with the development or operation of any facility or infrastructure associated with the mining, extraction, or removal of minerals from the seabed within state marine waters.

 

AEN/WTL, JDC

SB 2803

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE KOHALA DITCH.

Makes the Department of Agriculture responsible for the routine maintenance of the Kohala ditch.  Requires the Department of Agriculture to develop a plan for the refurbishment of the Kohala ditch and submit a report to the Legislature.  Appropriates moneys.  Declares that the appropriation exceeds the state general fund expenditure ceiling for 2024-2025.

 

AEN/WTL, WAM

SB 2932

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Appropriates funds for capital improvement projects per the agricultural infrastructure of the State, a food and product innovation network, and outstanding debt on the Waiahole water system.  Declares that the general fund expenditure ceiling is exceeded.

 

AEN/WTL, WAM

Decision Making to follow, if time permits.

 

All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.

 

Please go to the Legislature's website, www.capitol.hawaii.gov, to submit written testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Create a free account on the website, or sign in to an existing account, then click on the "Participate" drop down menu and select the "Submit Testimony" option to get started. While submitting your written testimony, you will be prompted to indicate if you would also like to testify at the hearing in-person or remotely via videoconference.

 

Please note the following:

 

·         The number of oral testifiers and/or time allotted to each testifier may be limited by the Chair when necessary to adhere to the committee hearing schedule. We may not be able to accommodate everyone who requests to testify orally.

·         Testifiers for this hearing will be limited to 1 minutes each.

 

If you wish to testify via videoconference during the hearing, please review the detailed step-by-step instructions for testimony procedures before you submit your written testimony. Here's a direct link to the instructions: https://capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/testimonyinstructions.pdf

 

For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or [email protected]. You can also visit their website at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.

 

For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you require other auxiliary aids or services to participate in the public hearing process (i.e., interpretive services (oral or written) or ASL interpreter), or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee at [email protected] at least 24 hours prior to the hearing.

 

For amended notices: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored.  If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808) 586-8399.

 

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Mike Gabbard

Chair

 

_____________________________________

Senator Lorraine R. Inouye

Chair