STAND. COM. REP. NO. 144

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 463

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 463 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to assist Hawaii's farmers to acquire certification under the United States Department of Agriculture Good Agricultural Practices Certification Program (GAPCP) by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to partner with Hawaii's agricultural community to establish a food safety certification program that provides implementation assistance to small to medium sized farms with less than $500,000 in annual food sales and results in GAPCP certification or its equivalent; and

(2) Appropriating $150,000 for each year of the fiscal biennium 2019-2021 for a food safety certification program.

The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Hawaii Food Industry Association, Bayer Crop Science, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and a few concerned individuals supported this measure. The DOA supported the intent of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation amount to an unspecified sum;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 31, 2150, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee notes the request of DOA that the appropriated funds should be expended by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to partner with the agricultural community to establish a food safety certification training program for small and medium sized farms to comply with federal requirements.

Should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this matter further, your Committee on Agriculture respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $150,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2019-2021 for the Department of Agriculture to implement a food safety certification training program.

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 H.B. No. 463, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 463, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Economic Development & Business.

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

____________________________

RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair