STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1526

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.R. No. 169
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.R.
No. 169 entitled:

     "HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE VARIOUS STATE DEPARTMENTS
     TO ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS
     AND SERVICES TO ASSIST DISPLACED EMPLOYEES OF PIONEER MILL
     TO OBTAIN OTHER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this resolution is to request the various
state departments to develop and implement programs and services
to assist displaced employees of Pioneer Mill to obtain other
employment opportunities.

     Your Committee finds that Pioneer Mill has had a long
history in sugar cultivation which dates back to 1895 and that it
has approximately 5,000 acres of land under sugar cultivation,
500 acres planted in coffee and 2,000 acres for future
diversification.  The Pioneer Mill has announced that it will
close its sugar operations at the end of 1999 due to continuous
financial losses.  The closure of Pioneer Mill will directly
affect about 76 employees.

     Testimony in support of this resolution was received from
Rep. Sol P. Kaho'ohalahala, the Department of Business, Economic
Development, and Tourism, the Department of Agriculture, the
Superintendent of Education, the Board of Land and Natural
Resources, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the

 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1526
                                 Page 2

 
Rural Economic Transition Assistance-Hawaii, the Mayor of the
County of Maui, the Maui County Council, and the ILWU Local 142.

     Your Committee has amended this resolution by adding the
Rural Economic Transition Assistance-Hawaii (RETA-H) to its title
and requesting that RETA-H also be included along with the
various state departments to develop and implement programs and
services to assist displaced employees of Pioneer Mill seek
alternative employment.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 169, as
amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the
Committee on Labor and Public Employment, in the form attached
hereto as H.R. No. 169, H.D. 1.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair