Hawaii State Legislature

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Lawmakers push for more dairy farms after delivery delay causes shortage (KITV)

A shortage of milk in stores across the state this week has local lawmakers concerned about the amount of imported food Hawaii relies on and what would happen if those imports stopped coming in.

This is a repost of an article originally published by KITV; click here to read the article on kitv.com.

Wednesday, March 6th 2019, 6:03 PM HST by Mika Miyashima

A shortage of milk in stores across the state this week has local lawmakers concerned about the amount of imported food Hawaii relies on and what would happen if those imports stopped coming in.

Hawaii doesn't have many dairy farms anymore, and now State Senator Mike Gabbard is pushing to change that trend with more farms in Hawaii.

"We have two dairies left on the Big Island. One's closing down so that makes one dairy left for the entire state. We had 88 dairies in 1988. So yeah, it's a huge issue," explained Gabbard.

Those two dairies, Big Island Diary and Cloverleaf Dairy, will soon be dwindling to one, ]as Big Island Dairy will cease operations at the end of April.

Senator Gabbard says encouraging more dairy farms is among one of his top priorities this legislative session. That concern, becoming even more pressing after a combination of bad weather and mechanical issues on two of Matson's cargo ships caused delivery delays that left store shelves empty.

Senator Gabbard says local food production is necessary for the state's sustainability. This week's shortage was a taste of what could come if Hawaii can't receive shipments from the mainland.

"When you're importing 85 to 90% of our food and spending $3-billion a year, and when you have all of this land, we need to be doing this. The bigger issue is, we need more farmers," said Gabbard.

Gabbard says, it's not just a dairy shortage, but fresh produce as well.

"The reality is the distributors should have at least 10 days backlog of milk in case something like this happens. Shipping problems due to weather, mechanical problems whatever it might be. Should have that 10 day backlog there so that people aren't faced with these shortages," said Gabbard.

Gabbard says the average age of a farmer is 64. He hopes to encourage the younger generation to get into the farming profession.

Governor David Ige also saying in a statement:
"We know that shipping disruptions could have a serious impact on Hawai‘i. Our reliance on imported foods is a concern and one of the reasons I've focused on doubling local food production."

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Friday, March 1, 2019

Plastic Bottle Ban could become reality for Hawaii by 2022 (KITV)

Senators on the Ways and Means and Judiciary Committees voted to pass SB522 Tuesday.

This is a repost of an article originally published by KITV; click here to read the article on kitv.com.

Tuesday, February 26th 2019, 1:46 PM HST by Brenton Awa

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit restaurants, bars, and businesses from selling single use plastic bottles in Hawaii by July 1, 2022.

The measure would also prohibit the sale of single use plastic utensils, stirring sticks, polystyrene containers, and straws.

"Times have changed," said Senator Mike Gabbard, introducer of SB522. "Plastics have served us ever since they were invented in terms of convenience but convenience is not everything. When you live in paradise the amount of debris that's being washed up on our beaches, the amount of trash that's all throughout our community, we need to do something about it and that's what this bill does."

Senators on the Ways and Means and Judiciary Committees voted to pass SB522 Tuesday.

The measure is now a full Senate vote away from crossing over to the House.

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Monday, February 11, 2019

Statewide styrofoam ban advances (KHON)

This is a repost of an article originally published by KHON; click here to read the article on khon2.com.

By Erika Engle

Posted: Feb 06, 2019 10:15 PM HST
Updated: Feb 07, 2019 08:28 AM HST

Maui County did it. Hawaii island is going to do it.

Many people want to know -- when will a ban on styrofoam containers go statewide?

A bill to ban styrofoam containers for take-out food -- STATEWIDE -- cleared a hurdle at the Capitol and is on its way forward.

Introduced by Senator Mike Gabbard, the bill was approved for further action with no amendments.

Gabbard first introduced this sort of bill in 2013, but given Maui's ban that took effect at the end of December, and the coming ban on Hawaii island, Gabbard is encouraged.

"The awareness has grown tremendously. When you live in paradise, you want to keep it paradise. As this awareness has increased, I think that this might be the year."

More and more Hawaii restaurants are opting out of styrofoam and single-use plastics in efforts to become more environmentally conscious.

More than 200 Hawaii restaurants have eliminated styrofoam containers and made additional changes to be certified as Ocean Friendly Restaurants by the Surfrider Foundation. The movement started in Hawaii and now is spreading across the mainland.

The commitment by those restaurants also increased their costs.

Many sustainable, biodegradable and compostable alternatives are available at ChefZone, a food-service wholesale division of Y. Hata & Company and Manager Christine Hoek says they are all the rage, among restaurants that can afford them.

"At minimum you're looking to spend at least twice as much for the biodegradable than the styrofoam option. Sometimes some of the selections are three times as much."

However, many of their customers are mom-and-pops, or other small businesses, with limited budgets.

"Really you're talking about the small business owner that's buying one case a week or a month, has no room to store it, necessarily, at their facilities, so granted, I mean, it's something that will definitely hit them in their pocketbooks and they're concerned."

Still Gabbard and bill supporters are pushing forward. He says, "I want Hawaii to be the first state in the country to say, 'okay, we're done.'"

We will continue to follow the bill -- and will keep you posted.

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Friday, January 25, 2019

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES TO RECEIVE UPDATE ON INTERAGENCY BIOSECURITY PLAN

The Senate Committee on Agriculture & Environment, along with the House Committees on Agriculture and Energy & Environmental Protection, will receive a multi-agency briefing on the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan.

WHO:	Senate Committee on Agriculture and the Environment
	House Committee on Agriculture
	House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection
WHAT:	Update on the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan
WHEN:	Friday, January 25, 2019
	9:30 a.m.
WHERE:	Conference Room 309, State Capitol
	415 South Beretania Street

The State of Hawai‘i released the Hawai‘i Interagency Biosecurity Plan for 2017–2027 on January 10, 2017. This Plan is the state's first interagency, coordinated comprehensive plan to tackle the threats and harms from invasive species.

Presentations will be made by:

•	Hawaii Invasive Species Council
•	Department of Agriculture
•	Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife and Division of
	Aquatic Resources
•	Department of Health, Vector Control Branch
•	University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
•	Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Office of Planning
•	Department of Transportation

The Department of Agriculture's Plant Quarantine Branch will provide examples of invasive species at the briefing.

For more information: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2019/hearingnotices/HEARING_AEN-EEP-AGR_01-25-19_INFO_.HTM