STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2479
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2350
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2026
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Economic Development and Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 2350 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to:
(1) Transfer oversight of the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation; and
(2) Transfer the Agricultural Development Division of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.
Your Committees received testimony in
opposition to this measure from the Department of Agriculture and
Biosecurity; Hawaii Farm Bureau; Animal Rights Hawaiʻi; and Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.
Your Committees
received comments on this measure from the
Agribusiness Development Corporation and Department of Research and Development
of the County of Hawaiʻi.
Your Committees find that the Agricultural Development Division is responsible for agricultural marketing and statistics. Additionally, the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch provides support for aquaculture and livestock businesses through planning, coordination, counseling, and information. Your Committees believe that both agencies provide critical services for the agriculture industry in the State. As the State works to urgently increase local food production, it is increasingly clear that technical and regulatory support alone is not sufficient and depends on clear governance, consistent oversight, and long-term certainty.
Your Committees further find that producers, particularly in aquaculture and livestock, also require coordinated business development capacity, including market analysis, infrastructure planning, capital formation, and public-private partnership development. The Agribusiness Development Corporation's statutory mission and operating model are uniquely suited to deliver this integrated approach. As the Agribusiness Development Corporation already administers certain land and leases for aquaculture operations, this measure will directly support and strengthen the agriculture industry in the State.
Your Committees acknowledge the concerns raised in the testimony of the Agribusiness Development Corporation regarding the measure's mission of strengthening aquaculture industry development rather than regulatory oversight and enforcement. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to address this concern.
Accordingly, your
Committees have amended this measure by:
(1) Inserting language that requires all regulatory authority related to animal health, biosecurity enforcement, inspections, and permitting compliance currently performed by the Agricultural Development Division and Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch to remain under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity; and
(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Economic Development and Tourism that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2350, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2350, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Economic Development and Tourism,
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________________________________ LYNN DECOITE, Chair |
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________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair |
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