STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2780

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3041

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. 3041 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Extend the deadline by which the Department of Agriculture shall submit its strategic plan outlining strategies, benchmarks, and metrics to achieve the goal of doubling food production in, and increasing food exports out of, the State by 2030; and

(2) Extend the lapse date for the funds appropriated by Act 151, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019;

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that Act 151, Session laws of Hawaii 2019, required the Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Office of the Governor, to develop a strategic plan to achieve the Governor's goal of doubling food production and increasing food exports by 2030 and submit the plan to the Legislature prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020. Your Committee further finds that this deadline did not provide sufficient time to ensure that the strategic plan is both responsible to and reflective of the State's agricultural industry and the public. Therefore, this measure extends the deadline for submission to the Legislature by one year, to no less than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021.

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. 3041 and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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