STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1449

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: S.B. No. 511

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 511, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to benefit farmers and ranchers in the State by appropriating funds to the Department of Agriculture to establish a pilot program to identify and purchase the outer shell of foreign agriculture small equipment tractors and attempt to retrofit engines to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

Your Committee finds that this pilot program would help identify suitable small equipment and develop solutions to allow Hawaii farmers, especially those working smaller farms, to import foreign equipment that can be retrofitted with engines that comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the expending agency and purpose of the appropriation to the University of Hawaii to establish the Foreign Agriculture Small Equipment Pilot Program at a community college selected by the University of Hawaii to identify and purchase foreign agricultural technology, including small equipment tractors, and retrofit engines to comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency's emission standards for small engines;

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

(3) 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 S.B. No. 511, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 511, S.D. 1, 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