STAND. COM. REP. NO. 405

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 754

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 754 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to enact produce safety rules to authorize state Department of Agriculture inspectors to inspect and regulate farms producing food in the State to increase food safety.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

Your Committees find that the federal Food and Drug Administration Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption establishes produce safety rules to allow for inspection and regulation of farms producing food for consumers. These produce safety rules include inspecting food on farms, which are also known as on-farm audits.

Your Committees further find that the State needs to implement certain provisions of these federal safety standards and that the Department of Agriculture should be the state agency to implement these federal standards, including on-farm audits.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Authorizing, rather than requiring, the Board of Agriculture to adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to carry out this measure; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 754, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 754, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair