STAND. COM. REP. NO.830-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2931

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2931, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR VARIOUS STATE IRRIGATION SYSTEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to authorize the issuance of $80,500,000 in general obligation (GO) bonds to finance various agricultural irrigation projects on the islands of Maui, Kauai, Hawaii, Molokai, and Oahu.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference, Kauai County Farm Bureau, and the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii. The Department of Agriculture, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, MacFarms of Hawaii, and Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association supported the intent of this bill. The Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii offered comments.

Your Committee recognizes that the survival of Hawaii's agriculture is dependent on a reliable system of irrigation. However, various testifiers, including the Department of Agriculture, have indicated that a reduced funding level may be more appropriate.

In light of these comments, your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with the issuance of $40,285,000 in GO bonds to finance eleven agricultural irrigation projects statewide, provided that $5,000,000 in federal matching funds are included in the appropriation.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2931, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2931, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

 

____________________________

FELIPE P. ABINSAY, Chair