STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1374-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2839

S.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2839, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to realize the agricultural potential of state lands by:

(1) Establishing the Agricultural Enterprise Program within the Department of Agriculture (DOA):

(A) To allow DOA or its lessee to plan, design, construct, operate, manage, maintain, repair, demolish, and remove facilities on DOA lands to support and promote agriculture;

(B) To authorize DOA to accept the transfer of and manage qualifying agricultural enterprises, which are activities directly and primarily supporting the production and sale of Hawaii agriculture, and agriculture enterprise lands from the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

(2) Establishing the Agricultural Enterprise Special Fund to be administered by DOA to fund the purposes of the Agricultural Enterprise Program; and

(3) Appropriating funds into the Agricultural Enterprise Special Fund to be used for the purposes of the Agricultural Enterprise Program and to establish two new full-time equivalent positions to implement the Program.

The Department of Agriculture, Ulupono Initiative, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and Hawaii Cattlemen's Council supported this measure. The Department of Budget and Finance provided comments.

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 S.B. No. 2839, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair