STAND. COM. REP. NO.  83

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1372

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1372 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exclude from the definition of "public utility" any person who provides water solely to bona fide agricultural activities.

The Department of Agriculture, Office of Planning, and Public Utilities Commission commented on this bill.

     The Department of Agriculture and Office of Planning supported either removing the term "bona fide" or clarifying what "bona fide agricultural activities" mean.

     Should the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce or the Committee on Finance, or both, further deliberate on this bill, your Committee on Agriculture respectfully requests that they consider and appropriately act upon the comments and proposed amendments submitted by the Department of Agriculture and the Office of Planning relating to the definition of "bona fide agricultural activities".

     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. 1372 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair