STAND. COM. REP. NO.  146

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 849

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 849 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to protect farmers' rights to farm and to promote lawful and proven agricultural activities that are consistent with state and federal laws, rules, and regulations by prohibiting county ordinances from abridging the rights of farmers and ranchers to employ agricultural practices that are not prohibited by federal or state laws, rules, or regulations.

 

     The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Maui County Farm Bureau; Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.; ILWU Local 142; Syngenta Hawaii; Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii; and several concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Agriculture and Hawaii Crop Improvement Association supported the intent of this bill.  The member of the House of Representatives from District 50; the member of the Hawaii County Council from District 9; two members of the Kauai County Council; Three Roads Farm; Hawaii Farmers Union United; Haiku Aina Permaculture Initiative; Animal Rights Hawaii; apollo kauai, zero waste kauai; Puna Pono Alliance; CountryTalkStory.com; Animal Legal Defense Fund; Counter Culture Food + Ferments; Kihei Ice; Kilauea Neighborhood Association; Hawaii's Thousand Friends; Hookipa Network-Kauai; Hawaii Sustainable Farms LLC; Waihuena Farm; The Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; and numerous concerned individuals opposed this bill.   

 

     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. 849 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair