STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1678

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1291

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1291, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to extend the offense of false labeling of Hawaiʻi-grown coffee to include roasted coffee.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that Hawaiʻi-grown coffee is recognized for its high quality and aromatic flavor and is held to a set of quality standards, making it one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Additionally, Hawaiʻi-grown coffee is one of the State's signature crops, ranking third among the State's top fifteen agricultural commodities produced in 2023. Your Committee further finds that, to protect Hawaiʻi-grown coffee from counterfeiting, the Legislature enacted Act 211, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023 (Act 211), which requires all coffee products carrying a Hawaiʻi geographical reference to disclose the location where the coffee was grown and indicate the percentage by weight of locally grown coffee and coffee grown elsewhere. Act 211 also specifies that coffee products claiming to be one hundred percent Hawaiian must be grown and processed entirely in the State. However, Act 211 left a loophole for roasted coffee, allowing for misleading labeling of roasted coffee containing little or no genuine Hawaiʻi-grown beans. This measure will close this loophole and strengthen consumer protections by ensuring that roasted coffee labeled as Hawaiʻi-grown truly originates from farms in the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1291, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair