STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1513

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 792

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 792, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate moneys to gather information and develop guidelines and a marketing plan to obtain export clearance for the rainbow papaya to Japan and other countries.

Your Committee finds that the papaya is the second most important fruit crop in Hawaii. In response to a devastating ringspot virus that damaged the papaya industry, a genetically engineered papaya called the rainbow papaya was developed to resist the ringspot virus. However, due to its genetically engineered history, the rainbow papaya cannot be exported to Japan, a country that previously imported substantial amounts of papayas from Hawaii. This measure will assist the papaya industry in collecting and providing information to clear the rainbow papaya for export to Japan and other countries that presently do not allow its import.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style and consistency.

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 H.B. No. 792, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 792, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair