Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 523 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to allow agricultural tourism on a working farm or agricultural processing facility located on land classified as agricultural.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority submitted testimony in support of this bill. The Hawaii Agricultural Research Center submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill. The Department of Agriculture, Land Use Commission, and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill with a proposed amendment. The Sierra Club and Hawaii's Thousand Friends submitted testimony in opposition to this bill. The Hawaii Farm Bureau submitted comments on this bill.

Your Committee finds that this bill will allow farmers and operators of agricultural processing facilities to take advantage of the opportunity to expand their businesses. As the agriculture industry in Hawaii seeks to become a larger part of the local economy, it needs to expand and become more diverse, and this bill can be a part of that effort.

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. 523 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Tourism and Culture.