STAND. COM. REP. NO.926

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1255

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1255, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve and strengthen the laws regulating agricultural safety and security.

Specifically, this bill allows the Department of Agriculture to provide agricultural certification services to assure the quality and security of agricultural products. The bill also renames the Marketing Order Revolving Fund the Certification Services Revolving Fund and repeals the Coffee Inspection Revolving Fund. Additionally, the bill removes specific responsibility for the meat-grading program from the Animal Industry Division of the Department of Agriculture and clarifies the responsibility for conducting seed certification.

Your Committee has amended the bill by removing the "fee" function from section 147-101, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the Certification Services Revolving Fund. A new section was created for the "fee" function under part VII, chapter 147, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The amendment clarifies the law and has no substantive effect. Your Committee has also made a few technical nonsubstantive changes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1255, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1255, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair