Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 210, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for agricultural research and development at the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center.

Additionally, the bill promotes public/private cost sharing of agricultural research by requiring the private sector to provide matching funds for certain agricultural industries.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center plays a critical role in maintaining and improving the agricultural industry in Hawaii. The Center has consistently proven its ability to assist sugar producers solve problems in commercial crop production, variety improvement and development, pest control, nutrient management, and environmental quality. In recent years, the Center has demonstrated that its broad perspectives for problem-solving can be applied to assist other commodity producers as well.

The Center has also developed disease resistant sugarcane varieties, drip irrigation for sugar and other agricultural industries, and assisted the papaya and coffee industries with disease control technologies.

Your Committee received favorable testimony from Gay and Robinson Inc., the Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii, and several other agencies and companies that testified favorably on the measure before your Committee on Agriculture.

Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the appropriation amount to $2 for purposes of furthering discussion on this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 210, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 210, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.