STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1457-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 3030

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred S.B. No. 3030, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address Hawaii's shortage of qualified teachers of the whole farm system approach to agriculture that improves food security and self-sufficiency by:

(1) Establishing within the Department of Agriculture a Farmer Apprentice Mentoring Program that teaches farmers about methods to improve soil health by using the whole farm system approach to agriculture; and

(2) Appropriating funds for the Farmer Apprentice Mentoring Program.

The Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i and two concerned individuals supported this measure. The Department of Agriculture, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and Hawai‘i Farm Bureau commented on this measure.

Your Committees have amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 31, 2150, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Labor & Public Employment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3030, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3030, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________ AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair

____________________________ RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair