SSCR3182

STAND. COM. REP. NO 3182

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 598

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 598, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

Board of Agriculture

G.M. No. 598

RICHARD HA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2018,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by the nominee and finds Richard Ha to possess the requisite commitment, sincerity, dedication, and qualifications to be nominated to the Board of Agriculture.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Richard Ha from the Department of Agriculture; Agribusiness Development Corporation; Representative Colleen W. Hanabusa, United States Congress; Office of the Mayor, County of Hawaii; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Kauai Chamber of Commerce; Hamakua County Farm Bureau; Rivertop Solutions LLC; 4 Ag Hawaii; Hawaii Forest Industry Association; Mahukona Ranch; McCandless Ranch; Food Solutions Inc.; Kualoa Ranch; Ola‘a Banana Co.; Hawaii Agriculture Research Center; Monsanto Company; Indigenous Consultants, LLC; Merriman's Restaurants; Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association; Edmund C. Olson Trust II; Kapoho Land Partnership; Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters; Hawaii Pineapple Company LLC; Maui County Farm Bureau; Syngenta Hawaii; Island Princess; White Cloud Nursery; Sugarland Growers, Inc.; Young Brothers; Pacific Resource Partnership; Ponoholo Ranch, Ltd.; Armstrong Products; Matsuda-Fukuyama Farms, Inc.; Y. Hirayama Farm, Inc.; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; Laborers' International Union of North America, Local 368; Research Designed for Agriculture; Hawaii Crop Improvement Association; and 207 individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the nominee from Corkers' Rancho Aloha; Ho‘okipa Network – Kauai; and seventeen individuals.

After serving as a United States Army Captain in the Vietnam War, Mr. Ha earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii. He is the Founder and President of Hamakua Springs Country Farms, a diversified agriculture operation consisting of 600 fee simple acres on the Hilo/Hamakua Coast where he grows bananas and hydroponic tomatoes. He is also the Founding Member and President of the Big Island Community Coalition, whose mission is to decrease electricity costs on the Big Island to assist farmers and increase the State's food security. He recently received the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Hawaii Alumni Association.

Mr. Ha is significantly involved in the community and has been on the board of numerous community organizations, including the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Keaholoa STEM Program, Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii, and the Advisory Board for the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. He is currently a member of the Hawaii Clean Energy Steering Committee, The Kohala Center Board, and Geothermal Working Group. He is considered one of the most respected and innovative agricultural leaders in the State and is passionate about increasing the State's food security and sustainability. Richard's extensive agricultural experience, community involvement, and valuable contributions to the Board of Agriculture as a current board member make him ideally suited for reappointment to the Board of Agriculture as a Hawaii County representative.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

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

____________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair