STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1437
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2019
RE: S.B. No. 754
S.D. 1
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 S.B. No. 754, S.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to ensure food safety by:
(1) Requiring specified farms that produce food crops to comply with the State's produce safety laws, rules adopted by the Board of Agriculture, and federal Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption regulations (produce safety laws) when conducting specified covered activities on specified covered produce;
(2) Providing exemptions and modified requirements for qualifying farms based on compliance with federal law, size, and method of distribution;
(3) Authorizing the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to access farms at reasonable hours to inspect the farm and collect sample specimens for compliance purposes;
(4) Authorizing DOA and establishing required procedures to seize, take possession, or condemn, destroy, or require the destruction of specified covered produce that is believed to in in violation of produce safety laws;
(5) Establishing civil penalties for violations up to $1,000 per violation;
(6) Requiring DOA to adopt rules to carry out the purposes of the produce safety laws;
(7) Providing for its repeal upon repeal of corresponding federal law or July 1, 2022, whichever occurs first; and
(8) Providing for its expiration if the federal government declines to award funds to implement applicable federal law provisions.
Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2150, to encourage further discussion.
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 S.B. No. 754, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 754, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,
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____________________________ RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair |
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