Honolulu, Hawaii
H.D. 1
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Seventh State Legislature
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1991 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROCUREMENT,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to promote locally grown agricultural commodities to support local agricultural businesses by exempting governmental bodies from the Hawaii Public Procurement Code when procuring fresh meat, produce, animals, and plants.
Your Committee notes that clear metrics should be developed by the Department of Agriculture to determine whether exempting fresh meat, produce, animals, and plants from the Procurement Code benefits local farmers.
Should the Committee on Finance consider this measure, your Committee requests it to consider imposing a requirement that 25 to 35 percent of agricultural commodities procured by a government agency must be locally grown; provided that the cost of the locally grown commodity is not more than 25 percent higher than the comparable imported product.
Your Committee has amended this measure by repealing the proposed Hawaii Public Procurement Code exemption for the procurement of fresh meat, produce, animals, and plants on June 30, 2024.
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. 1991, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1991, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,
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JESSICA WOOLEY, Chair |
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