STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2575
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2215
S.D. 2
Honorable Colleen Hanabusa
President of the Senate
Twenty-Fourth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2008
State of Hawaii
Madam:
Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2215, S.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEAT,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to establish a country of origin labeling requirement for all beef, pork, poultry, and lamb.
Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation. Testimony in opposition was submitted by the Department of the Attorney General. The Department of Agriculture submitted comments.
This measure requires grocers to list the country of origin of all beef, pork, poultry, and lamb sold in Hawaii. It would allow consumers to know where the meat they are buying is coming from and to make informed decisions about their purchases.
Your Committee is aware that the federal government has enacted similar legislation, but has failed to implement their program since its inception in 2002. The federal program is presently scheduled to be enacted on September 30, 2008.
In light of concern, on the one hand, that this measure may be duplicative of or conflict with the yet-to-be-implemented federal program, and the importance, on the other hand, of food safety, your Committee has amended this measure by amending its effective date to July 1, 2050, for purposes of facilitating further discussion.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2215, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2215, S.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,
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____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair |
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