STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1646

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 189

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 189 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO UPDATE ITS MISSION STATEMENT TO INCLUDE LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION TO SUPPLY LOCAL COMMUNITY CONSUMPTION, AND TO FEATURE THE MISSION STATEMENT MORE PROMINENTLY ON ITS WEBSITE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLICATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Agriculture to update its mission statement to include local food production to supply local community consumption, and to feature the mission statement more prominently on its website and appropriate publications.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

Your Committee finds that the current mission of the Department of Agriculture is to promote the conservation, development, and utilization of agricultural resources in the State. Supporting an expanding local agriculture sector is essential to the overall viability of the State's economy and yet, is not included in the Department of Agriculture's current mission statement. Thus, this measure requests that the Department of Agriculture update its mission statement to incorporate new language to emphasize the priority and desirability for local agricultural production and to feature this mission statement more prominently on its website and uniformly in its publications.

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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 189 and recommends its adoption.

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

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair