STAND. COM. REP. NO. 584

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 855

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 855 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COFFEE PEST CONTROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to extend the lifespan and clarify the provisions of the Department of Agriculture's pesticide subsidy program to mitigate the damage caused by coffee pests.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Extends the sunset date of the pesticide subsidy program to June 30, 2023;

(2) Provides that no single coffee grower shall receive more than:

(A) $600 per year in subsidies for coffee berry borer control; and

(B) $600 per year in subsidies for coffee leaf rust control,

per acre of land in coffee production;

(3) Provides that no single coffee grower shall receive more than a total of $12,000 per year in subsidies between June 30, 2021, and July 1, 2023;

(4) Requires the Department of Agriculture to compile a list of certain pesticides;

(5) Extends the sunset date of the pesticide subsidy program manager position, including the position's exemption from civil service and collective bargaining laws, to June 30, 2024; and

(6) Requires the Department of Agriculture to submit a report to the Legislature twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Hawaii Coffee Association; and MauiGrown Coffee, Inc.

Your Committee finds that extending the coffee berry borer pesticide subsidy program and program manager position will allow the Department of Agriculture to continue supporting the efforts of Hawaii's coffee growers to control the effects of, and mitigate damages from, the coffee berry borer and coffee leaf rust.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a definition to clarify that the term "department" means the Department of Agriculture;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 855, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 855, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair