STAND. COM. REP. NO.  407

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1553

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1553 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR INVESTIGATION AND MITIGATION OF DAMAGE DONE BY THE COFFEE BERRY BORER,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for various activities to address the coffee berry borer infestation on the island of Hawaii.

 

     The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR), Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, and numerous concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Agriculture (DOA) supported the intent of this measure.  Kona Coffee Farmers Association and numerous concerned individuals opposed this bill.

 

     Your Committee notes the concerns raised by DOA and other testifiers regarding the difficulties experienced in fighting  coffee berry borer infestation.  Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance to review the financial implications of this measure as it moves forward in the legislative process.  Your Committee also notes that testimony submitted by DOA indicated that certain appropriations contained in this bill were duplicative or unnecessary.

 

     In light of testimony received on this measure, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting the appropriations to fund:

 

          (A)  One position in the Kona office of the cooperative extension service of UH-CTAHR;

 

          (B)  One temporary DOA position to be filled by a professional entomologist with biological control experience; and

 

          (C)  Contract services from research agencies to develop and test coffee berry borer control and eradication processes;

 

     (2)  Clarifying that the appropriation to provide sanitation services be used to mitigate coffee berry borer infestations on abandoned farms and other lands that contain uncultivated coffee in the Kona region;

 

     (3)  Moving back the submittal date of the required report to the Legislature to July 31, 2012; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1553, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1553, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair