STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1056

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.R. No. 123

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development & Business, to which was referred H.R. No. 123 entitled:

 

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO CLARIFY AND COORDINATE AGRICULTURAL-BASED COMMERCE SUPPORT OF BONA-FIDE FARMING OPERATIONS ACROSS THE STATE,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to support and assist farmers in developing agricultural-based commercial operations on lands in the agriculture districts by requesting the Department of Agriculture to engage the counties and others in a task force to review applicable county requirements for such farmers, identify opportunities to reduce excessive permitting requirements, develop strategies to assist farmers in the county approval process for such activities, and submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature prior to the 2016 Regular Session.

 

     Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Larry Jefts Farms, LLC, and a concerned individual supported this measure.  The Department of Agriculture provided comments.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by extending the submission date of the task force's report to the Governor and Legislature to prior to the convening of the 2017 Regular Session to allow the task force sufficient time to accomplish its task.

 

     Your Committees request the task force to identify in its report, county ordinances or any other county issues that may impede the development and implementation of agricultural-based commercial operations and provide recommendations on whether and how those issues, if any, can be resolved and addressed at the county level of government.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development & Business that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 123, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 123, H.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development & Business,

 

 

____________________________

DEREK S.K. KAWAKAMI, Chair

 

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair