STAND. COM. REP. NO.  349

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 318

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 318 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VOG,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to assist farmers impacted by vog by requiring the Department of Agriculture (DOA), in consultation with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, to conduct comprehensive research to determine the best methods for employing vog treatments and find specific varieties of crops more resistant to the effects of vog.

     A member of the Hawaii County Council, County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development, Ka'u Farm Bureau, and McCall Flower Farm, Inc., and several concerned individuals supported this bill.  A concerned individual supported the intent of this measure.  DOA and a member of the Hawaii County Council submitted comments.

     Your Committees support future legislative efforts to address concerns regarding the availability of funding for this measure.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 318 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 Higher Education,

____________________________ JERRY L. CHANG, Chair

____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Chair