STAND. COM. REP. 154

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 1105

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1105 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL INSPECTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to make the Department of Agriculture (DOA) more responsive to the needs of the agricultural industry by, among other things:

(1) Authorizing DOA to:

(A) Audit and certify, upon an applicant's request, or enter into agreements with third parties, including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to audit and certify that the applicant is following good agricultural, handling, processing, and manufacturing practices;

(B) Employ temporary staff to assist in certification and auditing services and to charge fees to cover the cost of the temporary staff; and

(C) Enter into cooperative agreements with USDA for the purposes of grading beef, pork, mutton, and lamb carcasses;

 

(2) Repealing certain sections relating to certifying agency and seed certification of chapter 150, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), relating to the Hawaii Seed Law, and establishing DOA as the official state agency for certifying the genetic purity, identity, quality, and condition of seeds under chapter 147, HRS, relating to grades and standards; and

(3) Consolidating the coffee inspection and marketing order revolving funds in to a new certification services revolving fund to support certification or audit services for:

(A) Fresh fruits and vegetables;

(B) Flower and foliage exportation; and

(C) Processed food.

DOA testified in support of this bill.

Your Committee finds that:

(1) The existing coffee inspection and marketing order revolving funds are task specific and have not been utilized to the full extent of their authorized expenditure levels. The consolidation of these funds into one general certification services revolving fund provides greater flexibility in the use of temporary staff, cross training opportunities, and a reimbursable reserve of funds to cover start-up costs for new activities;

(2) The USDA has removed its full-time federal meat grader from Hawaii due to lack of demand and the inability to cover costs with the fees charged. A cooperative agreement was entered into with USDA and a state quality assurance division staff member was trained to conduct the meat grading;

(3) Users of Hawaii's agricultural products, both domestic and foreign, are demanding certification of good agricultural, handling, processing, and manufacturing practice; assurance of food security; and product traceability;

(4) The plant industry division that normally conducts plant pest control, plant quarantine, and other regulatory activities currently conducts the seed certification program. This activity properly belongs with other certification programs in the quality assurance division; and

(5) The consolidation and generalization of the revolving funds will allow more clients to benefit from the lower rates charged for the services of temporary employees and allow DOA to implement new programs without adding permanent staff.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, style, and conformity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1105, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1105, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

 

____________________________

FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair