STAND. COM. REP. NO. 51-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2402
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B.
No. 2402 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
     AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to give the Department of
Agriculture (DOA) blanket authorization to establish, increase,
decrease, or repeal any fees under its jurisdiction pursuant to
the Administrative Procedure Law (Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised
Statutes).

     DOA testified in support of this measure.  The Hawaii Farm
Bureau Federation supported this bill but recommended deleting
blanket authority to establish any fees under its jurisdiction.

     Your Committee notes that DOA has been reviewing the
adequacy of the fees being charged by its various programs and
the need to establish new fees to defray the costs of its
activities.  Your Committee further notes that not all of DOA's
programs have statutory authority to establish fees pursuant to
Chapter 91.  This bill provides DOA with blanket authority to
establish or amend any fee as necessary under one chapter, rather
than amending each chapter to provide the various programs under
DOA with statutory authority.


 
 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 51-00
                                 Page 2

 
     Your Committee has amended this bill by deleting reference
to giving DOA blanket authorization to establish fees pursuant to
Chapter 91.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2402, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2402, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Agriculture,



                                   ______________________________
                                   FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair