CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 121

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 1148

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1148, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds into and out of the agricultural loan revolving fund for the Department of Agriculture to provide loans to local ranchers and farmers who have experienced losses caused by disasters.

Your Committee on Conference finds that appropriating funds to support local farmers and ranchers helps these local food producers sustain their businesses in the wake of economic challenges and furthers the State's goal to double local food production.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have limited the Department of Agriculture to distributing agricultural loans only to farmers and ranchers that experienced losses caused by disasters;

(2) Inserting an appropriation amount of $2,500,000 into and out of the agricultural loan revolving fund to provide loans to support local ranchers and farmers; and

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2019.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1148, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1148, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ RICHARD P. CREAGAN Co-Chair	____________________________ MIKE GABBARD Chair
____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE Co-Chair	____________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE Co-Chair