STAND. COM. REP. NO. 40

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 562

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 562 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve and clarify the laws regulating certain agricultural products by:

(1) Authorizing the Department of Agriculture (DOA), as part of its agricultural grades and certification activity, to make rules:

(A) Providing voluntary, fee-for-service weighing of agricultural commodities and certification of the weight; and

(B) Regulating the advertisement of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and coffee under the agricultural Grades and Standards Law;

(2) Enabling the Certification Services Revolving Fund (Revolving Fund) to be used by DOA to support certification or audit services for all agricultural products regulated under the Grades and Standards Law, including chicken eggs, beef, pork, and poultry; and

 

 

(3) Specifying that moneys derived from the certification or audit services for beef, pork, and poultry provided by temporary inspectors under the Revolving Fund be deposited into the Revolving Fund.

DOA submitted testimony in support of this measure.

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. 562 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Employment.

 

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

 

____________________________

FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair