STAND. COM. REP. NO. 167-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2638

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture & Food Systems and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2638 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LAND USE POTENTIAL,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require and appropriate funds for the Department of Agriculture to contract a third-party entity to compile a report evaluating the agricultural land use potential of certain parcels of state-owned lands.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Department of Land and Natural Resources; and Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committees find that the State needs to become self-sufficient in growing its own food, as eighty-five to ninety percent of the State's food is imported. Identifying and effectively utilizing the State's most productive agricultural lands will help the State to increase food production and meet its food and agricultural sustainability goals.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying which lands are subject to the evaluation and reporting;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committees respectfully request your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $1,000,000, and adding cultural sites to be included in the reported parcel information.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture & Food Systems and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2638, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2638, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture & Food Systems and Water & Land,

____________________________ LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair

____________________________ CEDRIC ASUEGA GATES, Chair