STAND. COM. REP. NO. 698

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1351

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 Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1351 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEMP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Department of Agriculture to employ temporary inspectors to take samples of the industrial hemp plants for verification that certain chemicals do not exceed permissible concentration levels.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Hawaii Farm Bureau, and Hawaii Center for Food Safety.

Your Committee finds that the State's industrial hemp pilot program currently has only one employee. Authorizing the use of additional personnel for hemp sampling will allow the program to expand in an efficient manner.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(2) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1351, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1351, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair