STAND. COM. REP. 494

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 523

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Tourism and Culture, to which was referred H.B. No. 523 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL TOURISM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to allow agricultural tourism on a working farm or agricultural processing facility located on land classified as agricultural.

A representative of the Kamehameha Schools supported this bill. The Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Office of Planning, State Land Use Commission, and the Mayor of the County of Maui supported the intent of this bill with proposed amendments. The Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter, opposed this measure. The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and a concerned citizen offered comments.

Agricultural tourism is a niche industry that provides enormous opportunities and potential revenue streams for both the visitor industry and farmers. However, your Committee also recognizes the importance of ensuring that agriculture remains the primary activity on agricultural lands, and that other activities, such as agricultural tourism, remain secondary to this primary activity. Your Committee also recognizes the potential for agricultural tourism activities on one farm to negatively impact surrounding farms.

In light of these concerns, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Allowing agricultural tourism on existing working farms and existing farming operations, as defined under the Hawaii Right to Farm Act, provided that the agricultural tourism does not interfere with surrounding farm operations;

(2) Deleting a reference to agricultural tourism under section 205-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as this reference was deemed redundant; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism and Culture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 523, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 523, H.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism and Culture,

 

____________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Chair