STAND. COM. REP. NO.  993

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.C.R. No. 7

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Public Safety and Agriculture, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 7 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE COUNTY OF HAWAII TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS THAT HAVE INCURRED SIGNIFICANT LOSSES DUE TO THE EFFECTS OF VOG,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to lend support to Hawaii's agricultural industry that are being negatively impacted by the recent increase in vog emissions on the Big Island by requesting the United States Department of Agriculture and the County of Hawaii to provide increased financial support to these agricultural operations.

     The Department of Agriculture and the Big Island Farm Bureau supported this concurrent resolution.  The Hawaii County Finance Department opposed this measure.

     Your Committees recognize the concerns of the Hawaii County Finance Department as noted in their testimony that any further reduction in property taxes for farmers, as requested by this concurrent resolution, would be relatively small for the farmers, but the cumulative effect would adversely impact the County's primary source of revenue.

     Your Committees have amended this concurrent resolution by including Hawaii's Congressional delegation as recipients of certified copies of this measure.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 7, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 7, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Agriculture,

____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Chair

____________________________ FAYE HANOHANO, Chair