STAND. COM. REP. NO.  489

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 80

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development & Business Concerns, to which was referred H.B. No. 80 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to jumpstart the development of a coordinated network of agricultural processing, marketing, and shipping facilities by:

     (1)  Appropriating funds for the planning of a pilot program on the island of Hawaii to demonstrate the first of several linked terminal markets to serve food producers, distributors, retailers, military buyers, private distributors, and retail outlets;

     (2)  Appropriating funds to hire a consultant to assist in the planning of terminal market facilities and to perform certain other duties;

     (3)  Requiring the consultant to work with the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to form a committee of affected stakeholders that is required to recommend policies, rules, and procedures for any operator chosen by DOA to operate the terminal markets; and

     (4)  Authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds for the construction and equipping of a terminal market and vacuum cooling plant for the island of Hawaii.

     Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation supported this bill.  DOA supported the intent of this measure.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development & Business Concerns that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 80 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Economic Development & Business Concerns,

____________________________ KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair

____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Chair