STAND. COM. REP. NO.  654-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   H.B. No. 2775

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for the timely processing of permits and other approvals to import or possess plants, animals, or microorganisms, by establishing processing fees that will be deposited into the Pest Inspection, Quarantine, and Eradication Fund and used for processing, training, and other Department of Agriculture regulation and importation activities.

     The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Agriculture and High Technology Development Corporation provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing all of the fee amounts to unspecified dollar amounts;

     (2)  Establishing an expedited permit application fee for processing permits and other approvals within 30 days;

     (3)  Providing that expedited permit processing is not available when the administrative rules must be amended to allow importation or possession of a plant, animal, or microorganism;

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair