STAND. COM. REP. NO.  76

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 627

      H.D. 1

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. 627 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO A FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a Farm to School Program in the Department of Agriculture and to appropriate funds for a farm to school coordinator position in each of the Departments of Agriculture and Education to oversee the Program.

The Department of Education, University of Hawaii System, a member of the Kauai County Council, a member of the Maui County Council, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Three Roads Farm, The Local Food Coalition, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, Hawaii Island School Garden Network, Hawaii Farm to School and School Gardens Hui, Regenerations International Botanical Garden, and numerous concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Agriculture supported the intent of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amounts to unspecified sums;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to January 20, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of style.

     Should the Committee on Education or the Committee on Finance, or both, further deliberate on this measure, your Committee on Agriculture respectfully requests that they consider requiring the development of standards or a system to gauge the success of the Farm to School Program.

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $150,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2015-2017 for each of the full-time farm to school coordinator positions at the Department of Agriculture and Department of Education.

     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. 627, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 627, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Education.

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

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair