SB885 SD1

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that empowering children with knowledge is the most effective way to keep our communities healthy for the long-term. Teaching healthy eating habits is essential to addressing the increasing rates of obesity in our children. Teaching children how to grow their own food and how to prepare it in a healthy way will enable them to adopt healthy eating habits and maintain a healthy lifestyle through adulthood.

The legislature further finds that with the decline of the sugar and pineapple industries in Hawaii, agricultural lands are evolving into small diversified agricultural farms. Further, with the demand for landscaping by many public and private businesses, the landscaping industry is purportedly as large as the diversified agriculture industry in Hawaii. The legislature finds that the need for agricultural and landscaping workers runs the gamut in terms of skill-level. Both industries have expressed a critical need for government support to establish an educational infrastructure that may prepare students for work in their industries. Appropriate programs would assist in preparing and guiding students who are otherwise unlikely to pursue higher education into jobs that are in demand.

The purpose of this Act is to support and enhance the agriculture industry by ensuring the continued supply of qualified individuals for the industry through:

(1) The establishment of an agricultural and culinary education pilot program that teaches students healthy eating habits and encourages the culinary arts, farming, diversified agriculture, and related industries such as market development and science and technology, as long-term career goals; and

(2) The establishment of a comprehensive vocational agriculture and landscape education program in the public schools.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-431.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§302A-431.7[]] [~~Vocational agriculture~~] Agriculture and landscape education program. (a) The department shall establish and administer [~~a vocational~~] an agriculture and landscape education program. The program shall include adequate staffing of individuals trained or experienced in the [~~field~~] fields of [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping to coordinate the program and to provide assistance to school districts for the coordination of the activities of related student [~~agricultural~~] organizations and associations.

(b) The [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscape education program shall be administered by a director who shall:

(1) Assess the agricultural and landscape needs of the State and devise methods of meeting those needs with the [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscape education program;

(2) Assist school districts in establishing [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping programs;

(3) Review school district applications for approval of [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping programs;

(4) Evaluate existing programs;

(5) Plan research and studies for the improvement of curriculum materials for specialty areas of [~~vocational~~] agriculture[;] and landscaping, including aquaculture and incumbent worker training;

(6) Ensure that the standards and criteria developed under this section satisfy the mandates of federally- assisted vocational education;

(7) Develop in-service programs for teachers and administrators of [~~vocational~~] agriculture[;] and landscaping;

(8) Review applications for [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping teacher certification;

(9) Assist in teacher recruitment and placement in [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping programs;

(10) Serve as a liaison with the Future Farmers of America, representatives of business, industry, appropriate public agencies, and institutions of higher education to facilitate dissemination of information;

(11) Promote improvement of [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping programs;

(12) Assist in the development of adult [~~and~~], continuing education, and college-level education programs in [~~vocational~~] agriculture[;] and landscaping;

(13) Establish an advisory task force of agriculturists[,] and experts in landscaping, who represent the diverse areas of the [~~agricultural industry~~] agriculture and landscaping industries in the State, that shall make annual recommendations on the development of curriculum, staffing, and strategies to establish a source of trained and qualified individuals in agriculture and landscaping and strategies for developing the state program in [~~vocational~~] agriculture and landscaping education, including youth leadership throughout the public schools[.]; and

(14) Assist in the administration of the agricultural and culinary education pilot program established in subsection (c).

(c) The department shall establish and administer an agricultural and culinary education pilot program that integrates culinary arts with the school lunch program and the vocational agriculture education program to teach students healthy eating habits and encourage culinary arts, farming, diversified agriculture, and related industries such as market development and science and technology as career options. The department of agriculture shall assist the department with the implementation of this pilot program.

[~~(c)~~] (d) The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate this section."

SECTION 3. The department of agriculture, in conjunction with the department of education, shall determine whether the purposes of this Act will be better served by the establishment of a single or two separate programs to support the agriculture and landscape industries.

SECTION 4. The department of agriculture shall consult with the department of education and the University of Hawaii's college of tropical agriculture and human resources and college of education.

SECTION 5. The department of agriculture shall submit a report of its activities and any requests for funding to further implement the agriculture and landscaping educational program to the legislature and the governor no later than twenty days before the convening of the regular sessions of 2008 and 2009.

SECTION 6. The department of education shall submit a report to the legislature evaluating the agricultural and culinary education pilot program no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular legislative session in which the program is administered beginning with the regular session of 2008.

SECTION 7. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, to support and maintain a comprehensive agriculture and landscape education program in the public schools as provided in section 2 of this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture for the purposes of section 2 of this Act.

SECTION 8. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the establishment and administration of the agricultural and culinary education pilot program as provided in this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of establishing and administering the agricultural and culinary education pilot program pursuant to section 2 of this Act.

SECTION 9. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 10. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that:

(1) Sections 7 and 8 shall take effect on July 1, 2007; and

(2) Subsection (b)(14) and (c), of section 302A-431.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be repealed on July 1, 2012, and section 302A-431.7(d), Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be redesignated as 302A‑431.7(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	885
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII