STAND. COM. REP. NO. 318-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2995
                                     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. 2995 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
     INDUSTRY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is
to recognize organic agriculture in the State by requiring the
Department of Agriculture (DOA) to compile statistics on organic
agriculture.

     The Big Island Farm Bureau, the Hawaii Organic Farmers
Association (HOFA), and the HOFA Certification Program testified
in support of this bill.  Comments were submitted by DOA, which
indicated in its testimony that it supports the concept of the
State proceeding to establish its own criteria for "certified
organic" that can be used for data collection, reporting, and
other purposes.

     Your Committee notes that federal standards for "certified
organic" have not yet been organized, and without a uniform
standard, DOA does not have a basis for determining which
producers will officially qualify to be considered "certified
organic."

     Upon careful consideration, your Committee has amended this
bill by deleting the substance and inserting new material, the
purpose of which is to:

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 318-00
                                 Page 2

 
     (1)  Require DOA to:

          (A)  Define standards for organically produced
               agricultural products;

          (B)  Establish requirements for accreditation and
               registration of certifying agents;

          (C)  Establish requirements for labeling or organically
               produced products; and

          (D)  Establish any other requirements necessary to
               enforce the law relating to organically produced
               agricultural products;

     (2)  Requiring DOA to develop procedures for an
          accreditation process to certify agents who will
          certify persons whose organically produced agricultural
          products are sold in the State or shipped from the
          State for sale elsewhere;

     (3)  Establishing labeling requirements for organically
          produced agricultural products; and

     (4)  Establishing administrative penalties for violating the
          law relating to organically produced agricultural
          products.

     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.
2995, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2995, 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