STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1157

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 1383

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1383, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support Hawaii's efforts at food import replacement by:

(1) Establishing an Agricultural Import Replacement Task Force to identify the top ten fruit and vegetable imports to the State that can be commercially grown by farmers in the State; and

(2) Establishing an agricultural import replacement tax credit to incentivize the production of fruits and vegetables identified by the Agricultural Import Replacement Task Force to eliminate the need to import those products into the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Food+ Policy, Ulupono Initiative, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Taxation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1383, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair