STAND. COM. REP. NO. 884-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1782

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1782, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEMP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Department of Health to conduct criminal history record checks on applicants for permits to process hemp biomass or prepare a manufactured hemp product.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture.

Your Committee finds that Act 14, Session Laws of Hawaii 2020 (Act 14), reformed the regulation of hemp in the State following the promulgation of new regulations by the United States Department of Agriculture. Act 263, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023 (Act 263), further amended the regulatory framework established by Act 14. Following the amendments made by Act 263, an applicant for a hemp processor permit must either possess a valid United States Department of Agriculture hemp license that required fingerprinting and a federal background check or consent to fingerprinting and a criminal history record check to be conducted by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center. This measure implements the statutory authority for the Department of Health to conduct the criminal history record check.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a sunset date of July 1, 2027, to align with the sunset date of the hemp processors chapter codified under chapter 328G, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2) 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 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1782, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1782, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair