STAND. COM. REP. NO.  139-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 491

      H.D. 2

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. 491, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to reduce Hawaii's dependence on imported products, maximize available local resources, and develop sustainable technologies and infrastructure for the betterment of Hawaii by appropriating funds for a grant to the Aina Institute for Bioconversion Technology to develop a decisionmaking tool to identify optimum crops and technologies for the production of energy.

The ‘Aina Institute, RealGreen Power, Kunia Village Title Holding Corporation, and four concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance and a concerned individual commented on this measure.   

     Your Committee finds that the request for competitive sealed proposals process is a more fair and transparent means of selecting a vendor for a publicly-funded project than making a grant to a pre-selected recipient.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Authorizing the Department of Agriculture to issue a request for competitive sealed proposals for the development of a data analysis system with specified parameters;

     (2)  Specifying that the funding source for the competitive sealed proposal will be the Agricultural Development and Food Security Special Fund, with a condition that the $750,000 be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by private donations; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 491, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 491, H.D. 2, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JESSICA WOOLEY, Chair