STAND. COM. REP. NO. 676

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 496

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 496, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MĀMAKI TEA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish labeling requirements for māmaki tea by restricting the use of certain words on a consumer package unless one hundred percent of the tea or leaves were grown in the State; and

(2) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; Hawai‘i Food+ Policy; and Hawai‘i Farmers Union.

Your Committee finds that māmaki is a shrub endemic to Hawaii and is a common host plant for caterpillars of the Kamehameha butterfly, the official state insect. Your Committee further finds that the māmaki tea industry is fairly new and would benefit from protections against deceptive or misleading labels. This measure establishes labeling requirements and provides resources to the Department of Agriculture to ensure that māmaki tea is provided with the same protections afforded to other valuable agricultural crops like coffee and macadamia nuts.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the position count from unspecified to one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Measurement Standards Inspector V position; and

(2) 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 Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 496, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 496, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI, Chair