STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1324

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 Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1291, H.D. 2, 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 Hawaii-grown coffee to include roasted coffee.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Coffee Growers Association, Heavenly Hawaiian Farms, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau, Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that existing law requires all coffee products carrying a Hawaii geographical reference to disclose the location where the coffee was grown and, if a blend, indicate the percentage by weight of locally grown coffee and coffee grown elsewhere. These labeling requirements, however, do not include roasted coffee, despite most fraud, mislabeling, and misrepresentations of coffee occurring almost exclusively in roasted coffee products, thus creating a statutory loophole that allows the mislabeling of roasted coffee products containing little or no genuine Hawaii-grown beans. This measure aims to close this loophole by extending the criminal offense of false labeling of Hawaii-grown coffee to roasted coffee products.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1291, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1291, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair