STAND. COM. REP. NO. 601

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 657

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 Agriculture & Food Systems, to which was referred H.B. No. 657 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Agriculture to:

(1) Identify land in a centrally accessible area of Maui; and

(2) Plan, design, and construct a hemp decorticator facility for private and public use to process hemp and related plants into exportable products.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Hawai‘i Hemp Farmers Association.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's hemp industry and farmers have great need for processing infrastructure, including a hemp decorticator. However, your Committee also finds that a broader, more comprehensive view of the needs of hemp farmers in Hawaii is required to better plan for and equitably address needs of hemp farmers across the State, especially in light of rapidly evolving hemp processing equipment.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the purpose of the measure and appropriation to require the Department of Agriculture to hire a consultant to:

(A) Work with hemp farmers in Hawaii to identify the infrastructure needs of hemp farmers and the hemp industry in Hawaii; and

(B) Prepare and submit a report of the consultant's findings;

(2) Appropriating funds for only the 2023-2024 fiscal year;

(3) Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 657, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 657, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems,

____________________________

CEDRIC ASUEGA GATES, Chair