STAND. COM. REP. NO. 275

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 865

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 Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 865 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the establishment of a permanent Educational Support Associate position within the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience's Kona Cooperate Extension and Applied Research Program to provide administrative, professional, and technical support to the college's Cooperative Extension Program and Kona Research Station.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi system; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United; Synergistic Hawaiʻi Agriculture Council; Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association; Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers; Kau Coffee Growers Cooperative; Covfefe Coffee Farm LLC; Waimea Coffee Farm LLC; Bea's Knees Farm LLC; Kauai Coffee Company LLC; Hawaii Coffee Growers Association; Kealia Ranch; Konaloha Farms; Giggle Hill Coffee; and fifteen individuals.

Your Committee finds that the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience's (CTAHR) Cooperative Extension Program seeks to provide non-formal science‑based education; act as the outreach component of CTAHR; extend practical applications of science to support local food systems, healthy living, youth development; and the stewardship of natural resources for future generations. Your Committee further finds that CTAHR's Kona Cooperative Extension, which houses the Kona Research Station, provides crucial support for local coffee farmers, who currently face dire threats from coffee leaf rust and the recently discovered coffee berry borer. Your Committee notes that the Kona Research Station encompasses eighteen acres of projects related to coffee, including coffee leaf rust and coffee berry borer mitigation. Your Committee also finds that although the coffee industry represents the State's most valuable agricultural commodity, only one CTAHR extension agent serves the industry statewide. This measure establishes a permanent Educational Support Associate position within CTAHR's Kona Cooperative Extension, to provide much needed support to faculty and local farmers.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the name of CTAHR from the College of Agriculture and Human Resources to College of Agriculture and Human Resilience, to reflect its recent name change;

(2) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committee notes that this measure, as amended, contains an unspecified appropriation amount. Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider inserting an appropriation amount of $76,750 for the establishment of a permanent Educational Support Associate position within the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience's Kona Cooperative Extension.

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, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 865, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair