STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2959

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2161

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 2161 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize rodeos and rodeo activities on lands that are zoned for agricultural use; and

(2) Define the term "rodeo or rodeo activities".

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Agribusiness Development Corporation; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; McCandless Ranch; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Iron Workers Stabilization Fund; Triple S Livestock, LLC; and forty-three individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Animal Rights Hawaiʻi and five individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that rodeos are fundamentally connected to livestock production, ranching operations, and agricultural skills, and represent a compatible and beneficial use of agricultural lands. Your Committee further finds that rodeos and rodeo activities are deeply rooted in the State's paniolo tradition, which is one of the oldest ranching cultures in the nation. This measure will create meaningful business for agricultural landowners and rural communities, engage youth in meaningful careers critical to the State's food system, and preserve the cultural legacy of the paniolo for future generations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that permits the use of lands with soil classified by land study bureau's detailed land classification as overall (master) productivity rating class A or B and within the agricultural district for plant and animal sanctuaries;

(2) Inserting language that requires the applicable department that owns, manages, controls, or leases the land used for rodeos or rodeo activities to adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to restrict the scale of rodeo activities, including requiring the land to be returned to its natural condition upon the cessation of use for the rodeo or rodeo activity;

(3) Inserting a definition of "plant and animal sanctuaries";

(4) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(5) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(6) 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 Water, Land, Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2161, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2161, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair