HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.186         
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                H.D. 1 
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE VARIOUS STATE DEPARTMENTS AND THE RURAL ECONOMIC
   TRANSITION ASSISTANCE-HAWAII (RETA-H) TO ASSIST IN THE
   DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO
   ASSIST DISPLACED EMPLOYEES OF PIONEER MILL TO OBTAIN OTHER
   EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.



 1       WHEREAS, Pioneer Mill in Lahaina, Maui, has had a long and
 2   illustrious history which dates back to 1895; and
 3   
 4       WHEREAS, Pioneer Mill currently has approximately 5,000
 5   acres of land under sugar cultivation, with 500 acres currently
 6   in coffee cultivation and 2000 acres to be used for future
 7   diversification; and
 8   
 9       WHEREAS, at its peak of business, this long-time company
10   once employed over 4,000 people, making it the largest employer
11   in west Maui; and
12   
13       WHEREAS, however, due to continuous financial losses in the
14   cultivation of sugar, Pioneer Mill has announced that it will
15   close its sugar operations at the end of 1999; and
16   
17       WHEREAS, upon its closure, Pioneer Mill will have released
18   about 76 employees from direct employment; and
19   
20       WHEREAS, there is a growing concern regarding the future of
21   these displaced employees and their families as well as the
22   community in terms of the available employment opportunities in
23   the immediate area; and
24   
25       WHEREAS, as with other sugar mills that have closed or are
26   closing on Oahu, Hawaii, and Kauai, opportunities do exist for
27   small farming operations in agricultural parks, subsidies, and
28   other agricultural programs; and
29   
30       WHEREAS, however, there are also other employment options
31   that should be pursued to give displaced employees every
32   opportunity to integrate them into the community and to provide
33   replacement job opportunities, particularly entrepreneurship
34   and other job skills training and education; and

 
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 1       WHEREAS, such programs and services should be made
 2   available to the displaced employees of Pioneer Mill as soon as
 3   possible so that the economic impact on their lives and the
 4   community will be mitigated; now, therefore,
 5   
 6       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 7   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 8   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Department of
 9   Agriculture is requested to take the lead, along with the other
10   state departments mentioned in this Concurrent Resolution and
11   the Rural Economic Transition Assistance-Hawaii (RETA-H) in the
12   development and implementation of programs and services to
13   assist displaced employees of Pioneer Mill to obtain other
14   employment opportunities; and
15   
16       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that:
17   
18       (1)  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is
19            requested to provide assistance in job seeking, job
20            skills training, and community services development;
21   
22       (2)  The Department of Education is requested to provide
23            assistance in the development of an educator/mentoring
24            program in schools and alternative educational
25            opportunities;
26   
27       (3)  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and
28            Tourism is requested to provide assistance in
29            entrepreneurship training, community development
30            training, small business planning and development, and
31            other strategic planning efforts that will provide
32            opportunities for employment and business ownership;
33            and
34   
35       (4)  The Department of Agriculture and the Department of
36            Land and Natural Resources are requested to provide
37            assistance in the planning and development of farming
38            and other agricultural, horticultural, and other land-
39            based opportunities; and
40   
41       (5)  The RETA-H is requested to assist in the placement of
42            displaced sugar workers into their own agricultural
43            businesses or other employment;
44   
45   and
46   
47       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture,
48   in cooperation with the Department of Labor and Industrial

 
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                                                        H.D. 1 
                                                        

 
 1   Relations, the Department of Education, the Department of
 2   Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and the Department
 3   of Land and Natural Resources, and RETA-H, submit a report of
 4   the actions taken pursuant to this Concurrent Resolution to the
 5   Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of
 6   the Regular Session of 2000; and
 7   
 8       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 9   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the
10   State of Hawaii, the mayors and the council chairs of the
11   respective counties, the Chairperson of the Board of
12   Agriculture, the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations,
13   the Superintendent of Education, the Director of Business,
14   Economic Development, and Tourism, the Chairperson of the Board
15   of Land and Natural Resources, the General Manager of Pioneer
16   Mill, the RETA-H, and the President and Business Agent of Local
17   142 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.