STAND. COM. REP. NO. 466-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2836
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water and Land Use, to which was referred
H.B. No. 2836 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONVEYANCE TAX,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to broaden the use of the
natural area reserve fund by including watershed management
projects.

     Testimony in support of this bill was received by the
Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the Land Use
Research Foundation (LURF) of Hawaii, the Nature Conservancy of
Hawaii, and the Board of Water Supply.

     No testimony in opposition to this bill was received.

     The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered comments on this bill.

     Your Committee finds that since the inception of the natural
area partnership and forest stewardship programs, significant
efforts have given rise to another innovative public-private
undertaking involving the collaboration of major landowners and
stakeholders to protect thousands of acres of critical watershed
areas. 

     The legislature further finds that this effort began with
the formation of the East Maui Watershed Partnership in 1991,
followed by West Maui Watershed Partnership in 1998, and Koolau 
Watershed Partnership and East Molokai Watershed Partnership in
1999.  Collectively, these partnerships involve some 260,000
acres of land and include an array of major landowners and
government agencies including the United States Fish & Wildlife
Services, National Park Services, DLNR, Department of Hawaiian

 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 466-00
                                 Page 2

 
Home Lands, county boards of water supply, and numerous other
agencies.

     Increased and sustained funding is urgently needed to allow
these innovative partnerships to deliver needed management
activities on the ground.  Excess funding from the Natural Area
Reserve Fund via legislation provisos has already provided
matching State funds to attract County, Federal and private
grants to fund such mandatory projects as alien species control,
watershed fencing projects, and planning for the establishment of
the watershed partnerships.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Water and Land Use that is attached to this report,
your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B.
No. 2836 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
referred to the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ROMY M. CACHOLA, Chair