Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 3, 1 March 2000 — Legislative alert [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Legislative alert

AS THE CHAIR of the Committee on Legislative and Govemmental Affairs, I am alerting the community to several impending measures by excerpting the testimony of Bob Agres, Executive Director for the Hawai'i Alhanee for Community-Based Eeonomie Development (HACBED), supporting H.B. 2964, relating to Community-Based Eeonomie Development (CBED), and opposing SB 2775 and HB 2434, relating to state finances. HACBED is a statewide non-profit organization that encourages investments in sustainable, communitybased approaches to eeonomie development. Its founders estabhshed CBED within the Department of Business, Eeonomie Development and Tourism (DBEDT). H.B. 2964 Since 1992, CBED, has committed $2,397,970 in technical and funding support to community-based organizations working toward eeonomie development. These organizations have leveraged every state dohar with an average of eight dollars from other public and private sectors partners. In the past three years, such partnerships have created 331 jobs and created/sustained 650 businesses. Responding to eeonomie chaUenges, such as plantation closures, and eeonomie

development opportunities, such as the federal Empowerment Zone Program, communities have launched comprehensive eeonomie development planning processes that have resulted in the development of strategic action plans. A result of the comprehensive strategic planning process is Moloka'i's designation as a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Enterprise Community, one of only 20 in the U.S. With that designation comes $2,500,000 over 10 years, tax credits for businesses, special bond eUgi-

biUty and preference points for various competitive federal grants. Other examples of existing regional CBED processes include Empower O'ahu, whieh is currently leveraging $1,000,000 in city funds with more than $7,000,000 from other sources to create approximately 177 jobs and 199 businesses; Kaua'i and Ka'ū's USDA Rural Development Champion community initiative; and North HUo/Hāmākua's Eeonomie Development Task Force effort. HB2964 would support these and other CBED efforts through resources to community-based organizations for capital improvement projects that wUl stimulate eeonomie activity and generate jobs for community residents. SB 2775 and HB 2434 In considering these eompanion biUs, the critical questions are: • Is the economy a priority for the State of Hawai'i? • Is DBEDT the primary agency for crafting the state's eeonomie development direction? • Is community-based eeonomie development a desired and viable strategy the state ean use with other strategies to effectively position Hawai'i in the new eeonomy? The responses are an emphatic "yes." CBED should continue under the auspices

of the DBEDT to assure that communitybased efforts are linked to the department's strategies to strengthen our eeonomy. CBED must not be eliminated by diverting funds. Harbor-related bills Communities should be concerned with Department of Transportations's pursual of privatization. • SB 2299 designates harbors and facUities at Lahaina and KaUua-Kona as eommercial harbors under the DOT and excludes Piers 1 and 2 at Fort Armstrong from the Kaka'ako community development district. • SB 2300 allows DOT to enter into cost-containment contracts with private developers for pubUc improvements costing up to $2,000,000 without legislative approval. • SB 2301 defines maritime lands. • SB 2302 grants DOT broader authority over harbor lands. • SB 2303 transfers certain taxes to the harbor special fund for the improvement of cruise ship facilities. • HB 2571 clarifies that small boat harbors and other boating facihty properties may be leased for other than maritime related activities, and it aUows limited See MACHADO on page 7

V I C E CHAIRPERSON'S M E S S AG E

[?]

MACHAD0

coinmercial vessel activities within Ala Wai and Ke'ehi harbors. • HB 2579 authorizes the Board of Land and Natural Resources to lease Ala Wai and Ke'ehi smaU boat harbors for redevelopment, management and operation by piivate firms. DOT is scrambling to improve harbor

From page 6 facihties so craise ships ean expand their operations in Hawaiian waters. This wiU require improvements, including dredging, whieh DOT is already considering exempt from statutory requirements. The assault on our fragUe environment will be coming in the form of cmise ships that are already causing serious disruption in Alaska and other exotic ports of eall. ■