STAND. COM. REP. NO.453

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 534

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 534 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (College) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for various agricultural research and outreach programs.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Pacific International Center for High Technology Research, Maui County Farm Bureau, Tropical Hawaiian Products, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd., Hawaii Forest Industry Association, Kilauea Agronomics, LLC, Nalo Farms, and two concerned citizens. Testimony in support of the intent of the measure was submitted by the Board of Agriculture.

Your Committee finds that the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources is an important institution that helps support and strengthen Hawaii's agricultural industry. It is critical that the College has the ability to provide applied research techniques and extension services to farmers statewide. This measure would provide for the College to continue its current programs and to develop the agricultural incubator initiative, biotechnology research and outreach, value-added food processing and safety, and an integrated bioremediation research, instruction, and extension program.

Your Committee also finds that, while it is amenable restoring money into the College's budget, it is unclear how much is needed and available. Accordingly, for purposes of further discussion, your Committee has amended the measure to blank out the monetary values listed, except in the case of the amount listed for continuing programs, which your Committee has changed from $1,000,000 to $500,000.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 534, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 534, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair