81
THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE RESPONSIBLE USE OF AGRICULTURAL
    BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PEOPLE OF HAWAII.
 


 1        WHEREAS, biotechnology is any technique that uses live
 2   organisms or parts thereof to make or modify products, plants,
 3   animals, or microorganisms for specific uses; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, traditional biotechnology, primarily breeding and
 6   selection, has been used by mankind for thousands of years for
 7   the improvement of plants, animals, and microorganisms; and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, scientific advances in molecular biology in the
10   last three decades have resulted in what is known as
11   recombinant DNA technology or "genetic engineering" that can
12   readily move genetic material between more distantly related
13   organisms; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, the key components of modern biotechnology are:
16   
17        (1)  Genomics, the molecular characterization of all genes
18             and gene products of a species;
19   
20        (2)  Bioinformatics, the assembly of data from genomic
21             analysis into accessible and usable forms;
22   
23        (3)  Transformation, the introduction of single genes
24             conferring useful traits into plants, livestock,
25             fish, tree species, and the like;
26   
27        (4)  Identification and evaluation of useful traits in
28             breeding by the use of marker-assisted selection;
29   
30        (5)  Diagnostics, the more accurate and quicker
31             identification of disease-causing agents, or
32             pathogens, by using new diagnostic techniques based
33             on the molecular characterization of pathogens; and
34   
35        (6)  Vaccine technology, the use of modern immunology to

 
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 1             develop recombinant DNA vaccines for improved control
 2             against lethal diseases;
 3   
 4   and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, organisms that are improved or "transformed"
 7   through modern technology are referred to as "genetically-
 8   modified" or "bioengineered organisms"; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, modern biotechnology has several advantages over
11   traditional biotechnology, including:
12   
13        (1)  The ability to transfer a single, specific gene
14             providing a useful trait to a target organism;
15   
16        (2)  The more rapid development of varieties containing
17             new and desirable traits, from the knowledge that a
18             specific gene or set of genes produce a desired
19             trait; and
20   
21        (3)  The availability of the entire span of genetic
22             capabilities among all organisms;
23   
24   and
25   
26        WHEREAS, modern agricultural biotechnology is used to:
27   
28        (1)  Increase the productivity of crops and livestock;
29   
30        (2)  Develop new high-yielding crops that require fewer
31             inputs, which conserves natural resources and
32             improves the quality of life;
33   
34        (3)  Increase food supplies for a rapidly increasing human
35             population;
36   
37        (4)  Produce more nutritious foods with longer shelf
38             lives; and
39   
40        (5)  Provide consumers with high quality and low-cost food
41             products;
42   

 
 
 
 
 
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 1   and
 2   
 3        WHEREAS, it is estimated that about 100 million acres
 4   worldwide were planted in 1999 with transgenic varieties of
 5   more than 20 crop species, having a value which has grown from
 6   $75 million in 1995, to $1.6 billion in 1998; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, the National Resource Council has stated that
 9   bioengineered crops should provide no greater risk to the
10   environment than crops using traditional biotechnology; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, future advances in modern biotechnology will
13   result in crops that combat vitamin and mineral deficiencies
14   that afflict hundreds of millions of people worldwide, or that
15   produce life-saving vaccines and biodegradable plastics; and
16   
17        WHEREAS, a 1999 report of the Nuffield Council on
18   Bioethics concluded that there is a compelling moral imperative
19   to enable emerging economies to evaluate the use of modern
20   biotechnology to combat hunger and poverty; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, a September 1999 Gallop Poll found that Americans
23   who are most familiar with modern biotechnology are also the
24   most supportive of its use to improve the food supply, and that
25   more than three-fourths of Americans are confident in the
26   federal government to ensure the safety of the nation's food
27   supplies; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, federal law requires that all food and food
30   ingredients, whether produced by traditional or modern
31   biotechnology, must be extensively reviewed for safety by the
32   U.S. Food and Drug Administration and meet the provisions of
33   the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act before they can be
34   sold to consumers; now, therefore,
35   
36        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
37   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
38   Representatives concurring, that this measure express the
39   support for the responsible use of modern biotechnology to
40   benefit the people of Hawaii, the nation, and the world, and to
41   benefit the global environment through high-yield agricultural
42   production that requires the reduced use of farm inputs and

 
 
 
 
 
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 1   acreage; and
 2   
 3        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 4   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the
 5   United States, Vice President of the United States, Speaker of
 6   the United States House of Representatives, each member of
 7   Hawaii's Congressional Delegation, Secretary of the United
 8   States Department of Agriculture, Director of the United States
 9   Food and Drug Administration, Administrator of the United
10   States Environmental Protection Agency, Governor of the State
11   of Hawaii, Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical
12   Agriculture, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Crop
13   Protection Association, Western Crop Protection Association,
14   Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, Grocery
15   Manufacturers Association, Hawaii Food Industry Association,
16   Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, Hawaii Farm Bureau
17   Federation, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, and Hawaii
18   Agriculture Research Center.
19 
20 
21 
22                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________