STAND. COM. REP. NO. 419

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1629
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B.
No. 1629 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PESTICIDES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Increase the limit on the Pesticides Revolving Fund
          (Fund) to $600,000; and

     (2)  Expand the uses of the Fund to include agricultural and
          household purposes.

     Testimony in support of the bill was received from the
Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, the Hawaii Agriculture Research
Center, and the Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii.  The
Hawaii Tropical Flower Council testified in support of the
proposed intent of the bill.  The Department of Agriculture (DOA)
supported the bill with amendments.
 
     The Hawaii Pest Control Association and RESCUE Hawaii
testified in opposition to the bill.

     Your Committee finds that DOA should be provided with
sufficient resources to administer and sufficient flexibility to
evaluate alternatives to pesticides in situations where
pesticides are not the desirable pest control method for
integrated pest management systems.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 419
                                 Page 2

 

     Your Committee has amended the bill by:

     (1)  Clarifying that use of the Fund is being expanded to
          enable funding of integrated pest management
          strategies;

     (2)  Clarifying that moneys from the Fund may also be used
          for personnel and services;

     (3)  Removing the limit on the Fund so that section 149A-
          13.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, does not have to be
          amended each time DOA wants an increase or decrease in
          the fund ceiling; and

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

     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.
1629, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1629, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair