STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2723

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2839

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2839, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to promote and support diversified agriculture in the State by authorizing agricultural enterprises on lands under the authority of the Department of Agriculture.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to create and alter facilities on lands under its jurisdiction;

(2) Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to accept agricultural enterprises and agricultural enterprise lands from the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

(3) Establishes the Agricultural Enterprise Program within the Department of Agriculture to manage agricultural enterprises and agricultural enterprise lands; and

(4) Appropriates funds and positions for infrastructure on lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Board of Agriculture, Oahu County Committee Legislative Priorities Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Ulupono Initiative, Ho‘omanapono Political Action Committee, and the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council.

Your Committee finds that in addition to growing crops and raising livestock, the business of agriculture requires training, markets, food hubs, processing facilities, animal feed mills, and other facilities. This measure will address infrastructure needs of farmers by authorizing the Department of Agriculture to plan, design, construct, operate, manage, maintain, repair, demolish, and remove various infrastructure elements on Department of Agriculture lands as necessary to support Hawaii's agriculture industry.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the amounts appropriated to unspecified amounts;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style, clarity, and consistency.

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. 2839, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2839, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair