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


                    SENATE  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
36             develop recombinant DNA vaccines for improved control
37             against lethal diseases;
38   
39   and

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        WHEREAS, organisms that are improved or "transformed"
 3   through modern technology are referred to as "genetically-
 4   modified" or "bioengineered organisms"; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, modern biotechnology has several advantages over
 7   traditional biotechnology, including:
 8   
 9        (1)  The ability to transfer a single, specific gene
10             providing a useful trait to a target organism;
11   
12        (2)  The more rapid development of varieties containing
13             new and desirable traits, from the knowledge that a
14             specific gene or set of genes produce a desired
15             trait; and
16   
17        (3)  The availability of the entire span of genetic
18             capabilities among all organisms;
19   
20   and
21   
22        WHEREAS, modern agricultural biotechnology is used to:
23   
24        (1)  Increase the productivity of crops and livestock;
25   
26        (2)  Develop new high-yielding crops that require fewer
27             inputs, which conserves natural resources and
28             improves the quality of life;
29   
30        (3)  Increase food supplies for a rapidly increasing human
31             population;
32   
33        (4)  Produce more nutritious foods with longer shelf
34             lives; and
35   
36        (5)  Provide consumers with high quality and low-cost food
37             products;
38   
39   and
40   
41        WHEREAS, it is estimated that about 100 million acres
42   worldwide were planted in 1999 with transgenic varieties of
43   more than 20 crop species, having a value which has grown from
44   $75 million in 1995, to $1.6 billion in 1998; and
45   
46        WHEREAS, the National Resource Council has stated that

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   bioengineered crops should provide no greater risk to the
 2   environment than crops using traditional biotechnology; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, future advances in modern biotechnology will
 5   result in crops that combat vitamin and mineral deficiencies
 6   that afflict hundreds of millions of people worldwide, or that
 7   produce life-saving vaccines and biodegradable plastics; and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, a 1999 report of the Nuffield Council on
10   Bioethics concluded that there is a compelling moral imperative
11   to enable emerging economies to evaluate the use of modern
12   biotechnology to combat hunger and poverty; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, a September 1999 Gallop Poll found that Americans
15   who are most familiar with modern biotechnology are also the
16   most supportive of its use to improve the food supply, and that
17   more than three-fourths of Americans are confident in the
18   federal government to ensure the safety of the nation's food
19   supplies; and
20   
21        WHEREAS, federal law requires that all food and food
22   ingredients, whether produced by traditional or modern
23   biotechnology, must be extensively reviewed for safety by the
24   U.S. Food and Drug Administration and meet the provisions of
25   the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act before they can be
26   sold to consumers; now, therefore,
27   
28        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
29   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that this
30   measure express support for the responsible use of modern
31   biotechnology to benefit the people of Hawaii, the nation, and
32   the world, and to benefit the global environment through high-
33   yield agricultural production that requires the reduced use of
34   farm inputs and acreage; and
35   
36        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
37   Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United
38   States, Vice President of the United States, Speaker of the
39   United States House of Representatives, each member of Hawaii's
40   Congressional Delegation, Secretary of the United States
41   Department of Agriculture, Director of the United States Food
42   and Drug Administration, Administrator of the United States
43   Environmental Protection Agency, Governor of the State of
44   Hawaii, Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical
45   Agriculture, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Crop
46   Protection Association, Western Crop Protection Association,

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, Grocery
 2   Manufacturers Association, Hawaii Food Industry Association,
 3   Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, Hawaii Farm Bureau
 4   Federation, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, and Hawaii
 5   Agriculture Research Center.
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________