STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1145

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1668
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development, to which was
referred H.B. No. 1668, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR TARO
     RESEARCH,"

begs leave to report as follows:
     
     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for taro
research and to establish a taro research special fund to be
administered by the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC), the
University of Hawai`i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human
Resources (CTAHR), the County of Kauai Office of Economic
Development, the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, the Hawaii
Farm Bureau Federation, the Kauai Taro Growers Association, and
three individuals.

     Your Committee finds that considerable progress has been
made over the past year in multidisciplinary research being
conducted at CTAHR into taro diseases, particularly pocket rot
and leaf blight.  With this progress, prospects for the survival
of the industry are vastly improved.

     Your Committee also finds that, while the outlook for the
industry is much more promising, further efforts are needed to

 
a                                                     HB1668 SD1
 
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1145
                                   Page 2


assist taro farmers who suffered widespread losses in recent
years.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to:

     (1)  Delete the taro research special fund;

     (2)  Change the appropriation from $1 to $180,000;

     (3)  Designate the Department of Agriculture as the
          expending agency, with CTAHR to conduct the research;
          and

     (4)  Make technical, nonsubstantive amendments.

     It is also your Committee's intent that this appropriation
be included as one of the research appropriations in H.B.
No. 333, S.D. 1, previously heard by this Committee, and referred
to the Committee on Ways and Means.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Economic Development that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 1668, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B.
No. 1668, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Economic
                                   Development,



                                   ______________________________
                                   LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

 
a                                                     HB1668 SD1