REPORT TITLE:
Appropriation; HARC


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates funds for agricultural research and development to
be performed by the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center.  (HB334
HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        334
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND
   DEVELOPMENT.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that agriculture is one of
 
 2 the State's economic stabilizing industries and generates nearly
 
 3 $3,000,000,000 in sales per year.  In addition, agriculture
 
 4 supports the State's goal of providing open space, which is
 
 5 desired by Hawaii residents and visitors alike.  The legislature
 
 6 further finds that Hawaii's agriculture industry is taking
 
 7 advantage of new economic opportunities that have arisen because
 
 8 of downsizing of the sugar industry.  To maximize these
 
 9 opportunities for maintaining and expanding the agriculture
 
10 industry and to take optimum advantage of the thousand acres of
 
11 prime farm land that was formerly in sugarcane, production-driven
 
12 research is paramount.  Agricultural research creates new
 
13 products that are necessary for a sustainable economically-viable
 
14 industry.
 
15      The legislature further finds that the Hawaii Agriculture
 
16 Research Center (HARC) is a model of private-public partnership
 
17 for commodity-specific agricultural research, with over fifty per
 
18 cent of its funding from the private sector.  Further, the
 
19 legislature finds that HARC effectively partners with the U.S.
 

 
Page 2                                                     334
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 Department of Agriculture-ARS, the U.S. Department of
 
 2 Agriculture-APHIS-NWRC, and the University of Hawaii college of
 
 3 tropical agriculture and human resources to facilitate
 
 4 agricultural technology transfer and maximize the use of limited
 
 5 community resources.
 
 6      In addition, HARC directs its research primarily to crops
 
 7 that contribute financial support for their research needs.  HARC
 
 8 also develops programs to increase commercial production through
 
 9 crop improvement programs that focus on producing new products
 
10 through traditional and modern genetic engineering and improving
 
11 cultural practices.  The legislature recognizes that agricultural
 
12 research at HARC will continue to be a key resource in the
 
13 State's efforts to strengthen and improve the State's agriculture
 
14 industry, revitalize the economy, and maintain and create
 
15 employment opportunities for residents, especially in the rural
 
16 areas.
 
17      The purpose of this Act is to provide the necessary funds to
 
18 assist in maintaining current minimum levels of agricultural
 
19 research and development at the Hawaii Agriculture Research
 
20 Center.
 
21      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
22 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,000,000 or so much
 
23 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for
 
24 agricultural research and development to be performed by the
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 Hawaii Agriculture Research Center; provided that no funds shall
 
 2 be made available under this Act for research on:
 
 3      (1)  Agricultural commodities with annual statewide crop
 
 4           sales of $20,000,000 or greater, based on the most
 
 5           recent statistics from the department of agriculture,
 
 6           unless the private sector provides a dollar-for-dollar
 
 7           match of funds; and
 
 8      (2)  Other agricultural commodities unless the private
 
 9           sector provides $1 for every $3 appropriated in this
 
10           Act; provided that up to $250,000 per year may be
 
11           released unmatched for agricultural research and
 
12           development in agricultural commodities other than
 
13           sugarcane.
 
14      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
15 department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.
 
16      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.