REPORT TITLE:
IRRIGATION


DESCRIPTION: Amend current law to assess only cultivatable lands
within the irrigation district boundaries.  (HB980 HD1)


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        980
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT


RELATING TO IRRIGATION WATER DEVELOPMENT.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Section 167-19, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
 
 3      "(b)  Upon the board's certification, the chairperson[,] or
 
 4 the chairperson's designee[,] shall determine the acreage
 
 5 assessment to be levied against the property of each land
 
 6 occupier in the following manner:
 
 7      (1)  By determining the amount of acreage assessments to be
 
 8           borne by the agricultural land and the pasture land
 
 9           within the project according to the proportion
 
10           previously certified by the board;
 
11      (2)  By dividing the amount of acreage assessment to be
 
12           borne by the agricultural land by the number of
 
13           cultivatable acres [of agricultural land], excluding
 
14           streams, dry gulches, and noncultivatable or nonusable
 
15           lands, within the project and multiplying the quotient
 
16           by the number of [acres] cultivatable acreages of
 
17           agricultural land, except the board may by rule set a
 
18           minimum acreage assessment to be assessed upon
 
19           uncultivatable or unusable lands of the occupier within
 
20           the project; and
 

 
Page 2                                                     980
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (3)  By dividing the amount of acreage assessment to be
 
 2           borne by the pasture land by the number of acres of
 
 3           pasture land within the project and multiplying the
 
 4           quotient by the number of acres of pasture land of the
 
 5           land occupier within the project.
 
 6 The acreage assessments shall be in addition to any real property
 
 7 taxes, and shall be collected by the board together with the
 
 8 monthly water tolls.  Except in the case of public lands and
 
 9 lands designated as "available lands" under the Hawaiian Homes
 
10 Commission Act, 1920, acreage assessments shall be a paramount
 
11 lien against the entire tract, including improvements, of the
 
12 land occupier of which the assessed agricultural or pasture land,
 
13 or both, of the land occupier included within the project forms a
 
14 part.  Acreage assessments levied pursuant to this chapter shall
 
15 be a lien against each lot or parcel of land assessed from the
 
16 date of board certification declaring the assessment, and these
 
17 liens shall have priority over all other liens except real
 
18 property tax liens and prior recorded state tax liens on real
 
19 property.  The lien may be foreclosed in the same manner as liens
 
20 for taxes in accordance with sections 231-61 to 231-70.  In case
 
21 of the foreclosure of any homestead land pursuant to sections
 
22 231-61 to 231-70, the foreclosure sale shall be subject to
 

 
 
 
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                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 chapter 171. In the case of public lands and lands designated as
 
 2 "available lands" under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920,
 
 3 acreage assessments shall not constitute a lien on the property
 
 4 involved and notice of any delinquent acreage assessment shall be
 
 5 served upon either the board of land and natural resources or the
 
 6 Hawaiian homes commission, [as the case may be,] as applicable,
 
 7 for payment."
 
 8      SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
 9 New statutory material is underscored.
 
10      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.