STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2742

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2137

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2137, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate $500,000 in general funds to the Department of Agriculture to support existing on-farm mentoring programs and for a pilot on-farm mentoring program in the County of Maui to provide mentoring on a whole farm system approach to agriculture.

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

     Your Committee finds that the whole farm system emphasizes soil health, water economy, and limited damage from pests and weeds.  Your Committee believes that the promotion of a whole farm system approach to agriculture can improve Hawaii's food security and local economy by reducing production costs and promoting locally sourced inputs.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will improve the capacity of new and existing farms to succeed in their endeavors.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the appropriation from $500,000 to an unspecified amount; and

(2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the matter.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B.

No. 2137, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2137, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair