CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 183-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1517

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1517, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COFFEE,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Direct the Department of Agriculture to conduct a study to assess the economic impact on the local coffee industry from potential changes to coffee labeling requirements, complete the study no later than January 1, 2024, and submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024;

(2) Require disclosure on the label of coffee blends of the respective geographic and regional origins and percent by weight of the blended coffees;

(3) Make it a violation to use a geographic origin in labeling or advertising for roasted or instant coffee blends that contain less than fifty-one percent of coffee by weight from that geographic origin;

(4) Prohibit use of the term "All Hawaiian" in labeling or advertising for roasted or instant coffee not produced entirely from green coffee beans grown in Hawaii; and

(5) Appropriate funds for the Pesticide Subsidy Program.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Updating the preamble to reflect its intended purpose;

(2) Specifying that the economic impact study shall be an independent study to assess the economic impact of Hawaii's coffee labeling laws on local coffee farmers and the local coffee industry, including the impacts of a change to a minimum coffee blend ratio of fifty-one percent and one hundred percent;

(3) Deleting provisions that would have required disclosure on the label of coffee blends of the respective geographic and regional origins and percent by weight of the blended coffees;

(4) Deleting provisions that would have made it a violation to use a geographic origin in labeling or advertising for roasted or instant coffee blends that contain less than fifty-one percent of coffee by weight from that particular geographic region;

(5) Deleting provisions that would have prohibited use of the term "All Hawaiian" in labeling or advertising for roasted or instant coffee not produced entirely from green coffee beans grown in Hawaii;

(6) Deleting the appropriation for the Pesticide Subsidy Program;

(7) Inserting an appropriation of $100,000 for the independent economic impact study;

(8) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2022; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1517, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1517, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ MIKE GABBARD Chair	____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM Co-Chair
____________________________ GLENN WAKAI Co-Chair	____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair
____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Co-Chair	____________________________ AARON LING JOHANSON Co-Chair
____________________________ BENNETTE MISALUCHA Co-Chair	____________________________ AMY A. PERRUSO Co-Chair