STAND. COM. REP. NO. 141-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1533

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1533 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve food sustainability and self-sufficiency in Hawaii by:

(1)  Requiring that all leases for specified state agricultural lands be used for the production of food, with qualifying exceptions based on the rating class of the soil and furtherance of the State's policy of promoting food production;

(2)  Establishing the agricultural-food land use district as a new major land use classification and, among other things, restricting its use to the growing of agricultural produce for human consumption and accompanying uses as agricultural parks and for agricultural tourism;

(3)  Removing the cultivation of food crops, use as agricultural parks, and agricultural tourism as permitted uses of certain land in existing agricultural districts; and

(4)  Amending the agricultural priority objectives in the Hawaii State Planning Act.

A number of concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, and several concerned individuals opposed this bill.  The Department of Agriculture, Office of Planning, Monsanto Co., Babes Against Biotech, and two concerned individuals commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Deleting provisions relating to:

(a)  Establishing a new agricultural-food land use district;

(b)  Designating allowable uses within agricultural and agricultural-food land use districts; and

(c)  Amending the agricultural priority objectives in the Hawaii State Planning Act;

     (2) Inserting new language that requires disbursements from the Agricultural Development and Food Security Special Fund be prioritized for the growth and development of food in the State; and

     (3)  Making the bill effective upon its approval.

     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. 1533, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1533, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Water & Land.

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

____________________________

JESSICA WOOLEY, Chair