STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1824-18

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 Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 3030, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs 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 University of Hawaii supported this measure. The Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and Hawaii Farm Bureau provided comments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3030, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair