STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1577

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1082

H.D. 3

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. 1082, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO ABATE AGRICULTURAL THEFT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to establish and operate a temporary task force within the Department of Agriculture to develop policies and programs to abate agricultural crime.

Your Committee finds that agricultural theft is a critical problem for Hawaii's farmers, especially in large, sparsely populated areas, because law enforcement currently lacks the resources necessary to protect these areas. Millions of dollars' worth of products and equipment are stolen annually and farmers must also devote countless hours of intensive labor merely to replace the lost items. This measure will make it possible to abate agricultural theft by appropriating funds to establish and operate a temporary task force that will develop policies and programs to address this serious problem.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing references to "agricultural crime" to "agricultural theft" to be consistent with the title of the bill;

(2) Changing the appropriation to a blank amount to permit further discussion of the exact amount to be appropriated; and

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and style.

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. 1082, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1082, H.D. 3, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair