CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 121-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2014

RE:    H.B. No. 1514

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1514, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to assist local coffee growers in their effort to control the coffee berry borer beetle by appropriating unspecified amounts for:

(1) Education and mitigation activities to combat the coffee berry borer; and

(2) Developing, operating, and implementing a five-year Pesticide Subsidy Program to partially offset the costs of purchasing specified pesticides containing Beauveria bassiana, a fungus known to eradicate the coffee berry borer, and hiring a temporary program specialist for the Program.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the appropriation for education and mitigation activities to combat the coffee berry borer;

(2) Appropriating $500,000 for the Pesticide Subsidy Program;

(3) Clarifying that under the Program, a single coffee grower can receive subsidies of up to $600 per year per acre of land in coffee production, but not more than $9,000 per year;

(4) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2014; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1514, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1514, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair	____________________________ JESSICA WOOLEY, Co-Chair
____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Co-Chair	____________________________ RICHARD H.K. ONISHI, Co-Chair
____________________________ RONALD D. KOUCHI, Co-Chair