STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2661

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3146

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. 3146 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt, amend, or repeal administrative fee schedules for use of certain lands pursuant to a specified procedure and to exempt parking lot and concessions operations on such lands from the bidding requirements for concessions operated on public property.

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

Your Committee finds that the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife, which maintains responsibility over forest reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, game management areas, and other trails and nature reserves, has identified partnerships with community and place-based nonprofit organizations to steward the lands under its jurisdiction. Your Committee further finds that previous recent legislation had been adopted to enhance the Department of Land and Natural Resources' ability to partner with community and place-based nonprofit organizations in managing state parks . Your Committee acknowledges that these legislative actions did not grant the Division of Forestry and Wildlife to have the same ability as the Department. Therefore, this measure will support management partnerships with community and place-based nonprofit organizations who understand the most efficient, cost-effective, and community-centered ways to manage Division of Forestry and Wildlife lands.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; 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 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. 3146, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3146, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair