STAND. COM. REP. NO. 651

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1225

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1225 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL FACILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to preserve and increase the value of diversified agriculture in the County of Hawaii by authorizing and appropriating funds for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, to perform planning and feasibility studies as well as marketing and economic impact analyses for agricultural processing and shipping facilities and requiring DBEDT to report on the results to the Legislature.

The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association, and the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Agriculture provided comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1225 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair