STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1372

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 247

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 247 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT A WORKING GROUP BE CONVENED TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS TO FACILITATE HOMESTEAD AGRICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS IN THE STATE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that a working group be convened to develop recommendations to facilitate homestead agricultural demonstration projects in the State.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

Your Committees find that homestead agricultural demonstration projects seek to increase small farm capacity, homestead community ranching capacity, and farming and ranching supportive affordable housing on the islands of Molokai and Kauai. These projects seek to empower small family farms in planting, harvesting, and marketing of products by documenting the production chain; coordinating funding resources from local and national intermediaries to make investments in livestock related projects; and designing four-plex structures to attract private conventional long term debt capital and national intermediary equity capital to rural rental housing in compliance with the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

Your Committees have amended this measure by 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 Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 247, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 247, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________ MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair