Water and Land Committee Hearings

Friday afternoon is a big hearing day for the Senate Committee on Water and Land, which will take up a number of bills related to parks and public access.

The panel will hear SB 2835, which ensures a public right-of-way is available to access any and all public recreational areas, including beaches, shores, parks, and trails before any new development occurs.

Also on the agenda is SB 2529, which clarifies that the predominant concern of the state park system is to conserve park resources and values, not turn them into cash cows for other state programs.

And SB 3189 requires owners of privately owned shoreline access paths to keep access to the shoreline open to the public, at minimum, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., although longer is mo bettah.

It’s easy to testify. Just send an email to testimony@capitol.hawaii.gov and reference the bill number in the subject line.