STAND. COM. REP. NO. 55

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1149

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 1149 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to establish a pilot program to identify efficient foreign agriculture small equipment and retrofit engines to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standard regulations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Maui County Farm Bureau, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Ulupono Initiative, Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association, and seven individuals.

Your Committee finds that as the demand for unskilled labor increases, farmers and ranchers continue to search for alternative ways to operate their farms through technology, such as small equipment tractors from Japan. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, small equipment engines from foreign countries like Japan do not comply with standard regulations.

Your Committee further finds that appropriating funds to establish a pilot program to identify efficient foreign agricultural small equipment and retrofit engines to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standard regulations can aid local farmers and ranchers identify and import advantageous small equipment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an appropriation amount of $500,000 for the pilot program.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1149, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1149, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair