STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1498-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2320

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2320, S.D. 1, 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 establish a Kuleana AgTech Pathways Program in the University of Hawaii System as a statewide initiative to create career pipelines in the fields of agriculture and agricultural technology.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Agribusiness Development Corporation; Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Local Food Coalition; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Maui Chamber of Commerce; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience; Department of Education; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that while the State's food system depends on cultivating a skilled, culturally grounded, and resilient agricultural workforce, the lack of a strong agricultural workforce pipeline limits the ability of small farms to scale up production and impedes sustainable growth in the State's agricultural sector. Your Committee further finds that following the successful implementation of similar models in California and Connecticut, the State has the unique opportunity to adopt the regional hub model into a culturally grounded, island-specific career pathway system that integrates Native Hawaiian agriculture, regenerative practices, aquaculture, agroforestry, and entrepreneurship.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2320, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

____________________________

ANDREW TAKUYA GARRETT, Chair