STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3455

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 3178

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 3178, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS ON PUBLIC LANDS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to increase civil penalty fine amounts for violations of the State's natural resources laws committed on public lands and to clarify penalties for encroachment upon public lands.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

 

     Your Committee finds that in recent years, there has been an increase in the intentional violation of and blatant disregard for state natural resources laws.  Consequently, the State has been under considerable strain in fulfilling its obligation to protect Hawaii's natural resources for the benefit of all of its residents and future generations, due to ineffective enforcement tools, limited resources, and a shortage of enforcement personnel.  Existing civil penalties for most violations are nominal and do not appear to deter such behavior effectively.

 

     Your Committee finds that increasing penalties for civil violations of the State's natural resources laws is an effective means for deterring unlawful behavior by imposing serious consequences for such violations.

            Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050 to continue the discussions on this matter.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3178, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 3178, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

 

 

 

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair