STAND. COM. REP. NO. 865

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 353

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 353, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the coffee berry borer task force to fund efforts to control and mitigate the damage from the coffee berry borer infestation in Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture; County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Kau Farm Bureau; Hawaii Coffee Growers Association; Hawaii Coffee Association; Seven Stars Coffee; Kona Coffee Council; Jasminum Farms; Greenwell Farms, Inc.; Heavenly Hawaii Farms; and eleven individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Kona Cooperative Extension Service; Hawaii Farmers Union United; Kona County Farm Bureau; Green Gecko Coffee Farm; Kula Coffee & Pottery, LLC; Kanalani Ohana Farm; Daily Fix Coffee, Co.; Kona Coffee Farmers Association; Lyman Kona Coffee Farms; Kona View Coffee; Mama's Kona Coffee; Konaloha Farms; Aina Na Hoku Kai Farm; Kona RainForest Coffee; Blue Corner Coffee Farm; Mountain Tree Farms Coffee Farm; Dysart Farms; Athena of Hawaii Coffee, LLC; Langenstein Farms, Inc.; Paradise Found Farm; Moonstruck Organics; Kahauloa Iki Farm; Luther Coffee Farm; Hala Tree Coffee Plantation; Eldawi Farms; Smith Farms; Honu Kula Coffee Farm; and seven individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that the coffee berry borer has infested coffee crops in the Kona and South Kona regions of the island of Hawaii.  The coffee berry borer infestation threatens to dismantle Hawaii's entire coffee industry.

 

     Your Committee further finds that it is imperative that immediate action be taken to develop methods to combat the coffee berry borer and to mitigate the future impact to other coffee-producing regions in the State.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Reinserting language from the original version of this measure as introduced, which makes an appropriation from the agricultural development and food security special fund in the amount of $500,000 for fiscal years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 to the United States Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center to research and develop methods for the prevention and treatment of coffee berry borer infestations and names the Department of Agriculture as the expending agency;

 

     (2)  Changing the source, amount, and year of the appropriation to the coffee berry borer task force from the agricultural development and food security special fund to the general fund; from $300,000 to $330,000; and from fiscal year 2014-2015 to fiscal year 2013-2014, respectively;

 

     (3)  Naming the University of Hawaii rather than the Department of Agriculture as the expending agency for the sums appropriated to the coffee berry borer task force;

 

     (4)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2013; and

 

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of 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. 353, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 353, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair