CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 50

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2009

RE:    H.B. No. 1471

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1471, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FARMS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to promote local agriculture by:

     (1)  Establishing the Food Certification Pilot Program (Program) within the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to:

          (A)  Encourage farmers to form agricultural cooperatives;

          (B)  Coordinate purchasing agreements between the agricultural cooperatives and hotels, restaurants, and other buyers in the visitor and hospitality industries; and

          (C)  Develop and implement safe food certification for products under the Program for at least 100 farmers each year;

          and

     (2)  Establishing the Food Certification Pilot Program Special Fund (Special Fund) and appropriating funds for the Program.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Adding a purpose and findings section describing the nexus between agriculture and the tourism industry;

     (2)  Changing the name of the Program to the Safe Food Certification Pilot Program;

     (3)  Removing the requirement that at least 100 farmers be certified under the Program each year;

     (4)  Removing the establishment of the Special Fund;

     (5)  Changing the source of funding from general revenues to the Tourism Special Fund (TSF);

     (6)  Appropriating $140,000 from the TSF to be transferred to DOA to administer the Program for the 2009-2010 fiscal year; and

     (7)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2009, and repealing the measure on June 30, 2010.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1471, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1471, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ CLAYTON HEE, Chair	____________________________ JOEY MANAHAN, Co-Chair
____________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Co-Chair	____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Co-Chair
	____________________________ JAMES KUNANE TOKIOKA, Co-Chair