STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1179

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1899

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1899, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KAWAI NUI MARSH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure the conservation of Kawai Nui Marsh, one of our state's largest remaining wetlands, by transferring ownership of lot 3 of Kawai Nui Marsh from the City and County of Honolulu to the State to take advantage of federal funds, as directed in Act 314, Session Laws of Hawaii 1990 (Act 314).

 

     Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Hawaii Audubon Society, Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi, and numerous individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) supported this bill with amendments. The Department of Facility Maintenance of the City and County of Ho nolulu and Windward Ahupuaa Alliance opposed this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Transferring all of lot 3 of Kawai Nui Marsh as shown on      land division parcel map file no. 18-3-3-13, including        the area makai of the boundary defined as five feet from          the toe of the Coconut Grove side of the flood control          levee, beginning at the Oneawa canal and ending at the         State-owned parcel identified by tax map key number 4-2-        16:02, lot A;

 

(2)  Deleting the provision that requires that the City and County of Honolulu and the United States Army Corps of Engineers must first complete all pending flood control projects for Kawai Nui Marsh to the satisfaction of DLNR;

 

(3)  Deleting the provision that the State be granted a temporary easement over the parcels transferred under this Act prior to their transfer;

 

(4)  Inserting appropriations for DLNR to:

 

     (A)  Maintain Kawai Nui Marsh or to contract with    the City and County of Honolulu or any other public     or private entity to maintain Kawai Nui Marsh; and

 

     (B)  Conduct or contract educational, ecological, and      environmental services for Kawai Nui Marsh and its      adjoining state areas;

 

(5)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity,      consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1899, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1899, H.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair