STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2455

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2824

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2824 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 monies to the Department of Agriculture for three full-time equivalent (3.0 FTE) inspectors to perform meat inspection services.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Hawaii Meats, LLC; Hawaii Farm Bureau; and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that food quality and safety is of great importance to consumers and the State.  Increasing the ability for local inspection of harvest facilities will help drive the growth of the local protein space.  Your Committee further finds that Hawaii has recently grown its local meat production to the capacity of available federal inspection.  Your Committee notes that the State's previous meat inspection program was discontinued in the mid-1990s due to cuts in budget and staffing mandated by the reduction in force directives.  The USDA-Food Safety Inspection Service assumed responsibility for those obligations and has been performing meat inspection services statewide in Hawaii since that time.  Local meat inspectors would enable Hawaii to continue to grow its local meat production.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Inserting an appropriation amount of $250,000 for the three meat inspector positions; and

 

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

 

     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. 2824, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2824, 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,

 

 

 

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair