STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1278
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: S.B. No. 865
S.D. 1
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 865, S.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa; Island Harvest Inc.; Bea's Knees Farm, LLC; HC Farms LLC; Hawaii Coffee Association; Hawaii Coffee Growers Association; Maui Coffee Association; Kau Coffee Growers Cooperative; Hala Tree LLC; Ahualoa Family Farms; Heavenly Hawaiian Farms; Rusty's Hawaiian; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Hawaiian Goodness LLC; Kauai Coffee Company LLC; Mahilani Partners LLC; Hawaiʻi Tropical Fruit Growers; South Kona Estate; Food+ Policy; and numerous individuals.
Your Committee finds that the Kona Cooperative Extension, which houses the Kona Research Station, provides crucial support for local coffee farmers statewide, who currently face dire threats to their crops from the recently discovered coffee berry borer and from coffee leaf rust. Your Committee believes that additional assistance through the establishment of an additional position is needed to help the Kona Cooperative Extension in supporting the coffee industry throughout the State.
Your Committee notes that the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa stated in its testimony that it would be advantageous to have an extension agent position rather than an administrative, professional, and technical staff position.
Your Committee has accordingly amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting the preamble;
(2) Clarifying that the appropriation is for the establishment of one full-time equivalent permanent extension agent position, rather than an educational support associate position;
(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and
(4) 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 Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 865, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 865, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,
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____________________________ ANDREW TAKUYA GARRETT, Chair |
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