Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 3038 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for an apiculture (bee-keeping) program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Board of Agriculture.

Your Committee finds that apiculture is a small but promising sector of Hawaiian agriculture. State support for extension services, targeted research, low-cost access to state land for apiaries, cooperative facilities for processing of hive products, and educational activities can be expected to help catalyze a nascent industry, leverage additional private and public support, and contribute to the overall economic diversification of the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making the University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Cooperative Extension Service the expending agency, instead of the Department of Agriculture.

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 S.B. No. 3038, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3038, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.