STAND. COM. REP. NO. 367

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 991

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 991 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROCUREMENT,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt the purchase of fresh meats, fresh produce, animals, and plants by any governmental body from the Hawaii Public Procurement Code.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Office of Planning, State Procurement Office, Department of Education, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and Ulupono Initiative.

 

     Your Committees find that the Hawaii Public Procurement Code unreasonably hampers government agencies' efforts to buy fresh meats, fresh produce, animals, and plants.  Allowing state agencies to more easily procure locally grown products is critical to an effective campaign to increase the State's food security and food self-sufficiency; therefore, these items should be exempt from the procurement code.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 991, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 991, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development, Government Operations and Housing,

 

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

 

____________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair