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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE SUPPORT OF THE TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE
   OF HAWAII FOR THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF AGRICULTURAL
   BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR THE BENEFIT OF HAWAII'S PEOPLE. 


 1       WHEREAS, biotechnology refers to any technique that uses
 2   living organisms or parts thereof to make or modify a product
 3   or plants, animals or microorganisms for specific uses; and
 4   
 5       WHEREAS, traditional biotechnology, primarily breeding and
 6   selection, has been used by humankind for thousands of years
 7   for the improvement of plants, animals, and microorganisms; and
 8   
 9       WHEREAS, in the last three decades scientific advances in
10   molecular biology have resulted in what is known as recombinant
11   DNA technology or "genetic engineering" with the ability to
12   readily move genetic material between more distantly related
13   organisms; and
14   
15       WHEREAS, the key component of modern biotechnology are
16   genomics, the molecular characterization of all genes and gene
17   products of a species; bioinformatics, the assembly of data
18   from genomic analysis into accessible and usable  forms;
19   transformation, the introduction of single genes conferring
20   useful traits into plants, livestock, fish, tree species, etc.;
21   the identification and evaluation of useful traits in breeding
22   by the use of marker-assisted selection; diagnostics, the more
23   accurate and quicker identification of disease-causing agents
24   or pathogens, by using new diagnostic techniques based on the
25   molecular characterization of pathogens; and vaccine
26   technology, the use of modern immunology to develop recombinant
27   DNA vaccines for improved control against lethal diseases; and
28   
29       WHEREAS, the papaya industry in Hawaii survived the risks
30   of disease and pest infestations with transgenic seeds made
31   possible from advances in biotechnology; and
32   
33       WHEREAS, organisms improved, or "transformed," through
34   modern biotechnology are commonly referred to as "genetically-
35   modified or "bioengineered organisms"; and
36   
37       WHEREAS, modern biotechnology has several advantages over
38   traditional biotechnology including the ability to transfer a

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   single, specific gene providing a useful trait to a target
 2   organism, the more rapid development of varieties containing
 3   new and desirable traits, the knowledge that a specific gene or
 4   set of genes produce a desired trait, and the availability of
 5   the entire span of genetic capabilities among all organisms;
 6   and
 7   
 8       WHEREAS, modern biotechnology is being used to increase the
 9   productivity of crops and livestock, to improve the quality of
10   life by developing new high-yielding crops that require fewer
11   inputs and conserve natural resources, to increase the food
12   supply for a rapidly increasing human population, to produce
13   more nutritious foods with longer shelf lives, and to continue
14   to provide consumers with high-quality, low-cost food products;
15   and
16   
17       WHEREAS, it is estimated that in 1999 about 100 million
18   acres worldwide were planted with transgenic varieties of more
19   than 20 crop species and the value of transgenic crops grew
20   from $75 million in 1995 to $1.64 billion in 1998; and
21   
22       WHEREAS, the National Research Council has stated that
23   bioengineered crops should provide no greater risk to the
24   environment than those crops using traditional biotechnology;
25   and
26   
27       WHEREAS, further advances in modern biotechnology may
28   result in crops, for example, that combat vitamin and mineral
29   deficiencies that afflict hundreds of millions of people
30   worldwide or that can be used to produce life-saving vaccines
31   and biodegradable plastics; and
32   
33       WHEREAS, a 1999 report of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics
34   concluded that there is a compelling moral imperative to enable
35   emerging economies to evaluate the use of modern biotechnology
36   to combat hunger and poverty; and
37   
38       WHEREAS, a September 1999 Gallup Poll found that Americans
39   most familiar with modern biotechnology are also the most
40   supportive of its use to improve our food supply and that more
41   than three-fourths of Americans are confident in the federal
42   government to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply;
43   and
44   
45       WHEREAS federal law requires that all foods and food
46   ingredients, whether produced by traditional or modern
47   biotechnology, must be extensively reviewed for safety by the

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   U.S. Food and Drug Administration and meet the provisions of
 2   the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act before they can be
 3   sold to consumers; now, therefore,
 4   
 5       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 6   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 7   of 2000, that this body supports the responsible use of modern
 8   biotechnology to benefit the people of Hawaii, the nation, and
 9   the world, and the global environment through high-yield
10   agricultural production requiring the reduced use of farm
11   inputs and acreage; and
12   
13       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
14   Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United
15   States, the Vice President of the United States, the President
16   of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States
17   House of Representatives, the members of the Hawaii U.S.
18   Congressional Delegation, the Secretary of the United States
19   Department of Agriculture, the Director of the United States
20   Food and Drug Administration, the Administrator of the United
21   States Environmental Protection Agency, the Governor of the
22   State of Hawaii, the Chairperson of the University of Hawaii
23   College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the
24   American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Crop Protection
25   Association, the Western Crop Protection Association, the
26   Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, the Grocery
27   Manufacturers of America, the Hawaii Food Industry Association,
28   the Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, the Hawaii Farm
29   Bureau Federation, the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, and
30   the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center.