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Land use commission seeks authority to complete important agricultural lands mapping statewide
Summary
The Land Use Commission and agriculture stakeholders urged restoring LUC authority to designate Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) on private and public lands; lawmakers passed SB1099 HD1 as is and signaled further work to reconcile scope and county participation.
Lawmakers advanced SB1099 HD1 March 19 after lengthy committee discussion about who should identify lands designated as Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) and how the process should proceed.
Daniel Orodanker, executive officer of the Land Use Commission (LUC), told the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems that the current bill limits the commission’s authority to state and county-owned lands — a small portion of overall agricultural acreage. He urged restoring the original language so the LUC could designate IAL across private, county and state lands, noting the designation is an overlay that does not change underlying districting.
Article XI, Section 3 of the state constitution and the IAL statute author the program, Orodanker said, and the original legislative intent was for a statewide map that would give planners and the public clearer evidence about which fields are most important to preserve. “After almost 20 years, the counties still have not accomplished those designations,” he said.
The Hawaii Farm Bureau’s Brian Miyamoto and other witnesses supported designation in principle but urged phased implementation and county involvement. Miyamoto suggested the state should “fulfill its kuleana first” by designating its own lands and providing funding and technical assistance to counties to prepare their maps. He also said some private landowners worry IAL designation could be misunderstood as restricting family housing on farms — a claim several committee members called a legal misinterpretation but acknowledged requires better outreach.
Committee members explored a phased approach: require designations for state and county lands first, with a longer runway to map private lands. The LUC said three years would be the minimum timeframe to complete the work on state and county lands; the commission cautioned larger efforts to include private lands should not be dragged out over many years.
The committee voted to pass SB1099 HD1 unamended and signaled plans to work with the LUC, the Farm Bureau and counties to tighten language and address county staffing and funding concerns ahead of subsequent hearings. Chair Kirsten Kahaloa said she would “work with the LUC and with the chairs connected to this subject matter just to see if we can tighten up some language or get some consensus.”
The hearing record shows one recorded in-person support, no written opposition and two submissions with comments on this measure. The Land Use Commission emphasized the designation does not change land districts and can provide a stronger evidentiary basis for decisions on district boundary amendments.
Lawmakers asked for clarification on staffing and funding, and whether the Land Use Commission has capacity to map counties’ agricultural lands; several committee members suggested providing county grants or incentives and a longer timetable if private lands are to be included.
The committee passed the bill and will continue interagency and stakeholder discussions about scope, outreach to landowners and a workable timeline for statewide designation.
