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. 1321 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for research on diseases and other problems with taro to be conducted by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR).

The Kauai Taro Growers Association, HPC Foods, Ltd., and a concerned citizen supported this bill. UH-CTAHR supported the intent of this measure.

Your Committee recognizes the value of taro as both an agricultural product and as a symbol of the native Hawaiian culture.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the appropriation amount to $1 to further discussion. Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were made for purposes of style and clarity.

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. 1321, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1321, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.