STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2315

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2332

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Water, Land, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2332 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Exempt producers of agricultural products without access to municipal water from processing the product in a certified food-processing establishment or from obtaining a permit from the Department of Health; and

     (2)  Increase the volume of honey a home-based agricultural producer of honey is allowed to produce to remain exempt from processing their honey in a certified honey house or food processing establishment, or from obtaining a permit from the Department of Health.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and one individual.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

Your Committees find that many honey producers live in rural communities and do not have access to municipal water.  Your Committees also find that honey has little impact on human health and that water is generally not added to honey during any stage of production.  However, existing law requires honey producers to have access to municipal water.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Limiting the exceptions provided in this measure to honey producers and deleting provisions relating to agricultural products;

     (2)  Requiring producers of raw unprocessed or processed honey to:

          (A)  Comply with rules adopted by the Department of Health to protect the health and safety of the public;

          (B)  Use water that has been treated to meet or exceed state and federal drinking water standards; and

          (C)  Test the water used for processing honey no less than once a month, maintain water quality records for a period of no less than two years, and make those records available to the Department of Health upon request; and

     (3)  Requiring home-based agricultural producers of honey to label each container of honey sold with the statement "This honey was not produced or packaged in a Department inspected facility." in clear and conspicuous print.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Water, Land, and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2332, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2332, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Health.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Water, Land, and Housing,

____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

____________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair