STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1135-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 3096

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 3096, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR AN AGRICULTURE INNOVATION CENTER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and make an emergency appropriation for the Department of Education to build an agriculture innovation center.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, one member of the Kauai County Council, Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and three individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that increasing the consumption of locally grown food and promoting healthy eating habits, especially among children, are vital to healthy families and healthy communities. Two recent laws support nutrition education and nutrition knowledge in Hawaii's public schools by prompting schools to purchase and serve locally produced foods in school meal programs. Act 218, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, created a farm to school program, and Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, established the goal that at least thirty percent of food served in public schools be locally sourced by 2030. Your Committee finds that proper facilities are necessary for purchasing, promoting, and serving local foods as part of the farm to school program in Hawaii's public schools. An agriculture innovation center proposed to be funded by this measure would allow the State to grow food locally and teach students about growing food and all aspects of agriculture.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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. 3096, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3096, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

____________________________

MARK J. HASHEM, Chair