Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 534, S.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for various programs of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR).

The Pacific International Center for High Technology Research, Hawaii Forest Industry Association, Tropical Hawaiian Products, Maui Pineapple Company, Ltd., Maui County Farm Bureau, Kilauea Agronomics, LLC, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii, Nalo Farms, and an individual submitted testimony in support of this bill. UH-CTAHR and the Department of Agriculture submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill.

Your Committee notes that the appropriation in this bill has its origins in Act 234, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2001. This Act appropriated $500,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2001-2003 to be added to the base budget of the University of Hawaii for use in hiring faculty for agricultural programs. UH-CTAHR has since used these funds to hire nine faculty members. However, budgetary restrictions have prevented UH from rolling these funds into its 2003-2005 budget. This bill seeks to restore the original funding level provided under Act 234, SLH 2001.

Your Committee has amended this bill by deleting appropriations for:

(1) Developing the agricultural incubator initiative;

(2) Agricultural biotechnology research and outreach;

(3) Value-added food processing and food safety; and

(4) An integrated bioremediation program.

Your Committee has also amended this bill by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 534, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 534, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.