STAND. COM. REP. NO.  406

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 1552

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1552 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COFFEE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to prevent misleading labeling of packaged coffee by making it a violation to use a geographic origin on a label other than in the registered trademark or in the identity statement.

     The Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, and several concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Kona Coffee Farmers Association and several concerned individuals opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1552, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1552, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair