STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1055

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 973

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 973, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEMP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to repeal the requirement for the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules to address nuisance issues, including smell, noise, and excessive lighting arising out of the activities of hemp growers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawai‘i Hemp Farmers Association, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that this measure eliminates redundancies in having the Department of Agriculture be required to adopt rules to address nuisances that already fall under the authority of the Department of Health and county land use ordinances.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to upon approval.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 973, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 973, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair