HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

201

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

RECOGNIZING AND EXPRESSING DEEP APPRECIATION TO THE DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS OF THE AGRICULTURAL WORKING GROUP FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING EFFORTS TO DEVELOP LEGISLATION TO EFFECTUATE THE CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL LANDS.

 

WHEREAS, the unsuccessful attempts by the Hawaii State Legislature over the past 25 years to effectuate the 1978 constitutional mandate to conserve and protect important agricultural lands (IAL) reflect the difficulty in resolving the extremely complex and contentious issues relating thereto; and

WHEREAS, composed of stakeholders from all segments of the community, approximately 120 individuals representing state and county government agencies, private landowners, conservationists, farm organizations, and other interested parties, the agricultural working group was formalized by the 2003 Legislature to address all aspects of this long-standing mandate and to draft legislation for consideration by the 2004 Legislature; and

WHEREAS, in the summer of 2001, in an effort to fulfill the IAL mandate, the House Committees on Agriculture and Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs jointly met in a series of hearings with government agencies, landowners, farmers, and conservationists; and

WHEREAS, the Agriculture Coalition, composed of farmers and landowners, was formed in 2001 as a result of these public hearings, to explore the means by which agricultural viability and agricultural production could be significantly increased to address and possibly negate the need for IAL designation; and

WHEREAS, IAL legislation was passed overwhelmingly in 2002 by the House of Representatives, but was not acted upon by the Senate, and a Senate bill which was amended by the House failed to receive Conference Committee approval; and

WHEREAS, although IAL legislation was introduced and heard during the 2003 legislative session, it was believed that a resolution could not be reached due to the relatively short time period that the formal legislative hearing process could commit to this complex issue; therefore, in lieu of attempting to pass IAL legislation, in-depth discussions were begun between involved stakeholders throughout the legislative interim; and

WHEREAS, the 2003 Legislature formalized the Agriculture Coalition into the agricultural working group (Group) through H.C.R. No. 157, H.D. 1, resuming its activity under the continued leadership of Dr. Andrew G. Hashimoto, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; and

WHEREAS, monthly agricultural working group sessions involving 40 to 50 individuals from all islands, and sub-committee and facilitator/leadership planning meetings exceeded 2,500 man-hours; and

WHEREAS, in its continuing efforts to assist the Legislature to meets its constitutional mandate, the group, among other things, brought in mainland resource persons from the American Farmland Trust and other organizations to share valuable expertise with the Group's Oahu and government members, landowners, and conservationist groups on the neighbor islands; and

WHEREAS, significant travel and meeting expenses were absorbed by the participating agencies without any legislative appropriation, since the Legislature did not provide funds for this undertaking; and

WHEREAS, the diametrically opposing views and diverse interests of group participants resulted in stimulating discussions and disagreements, but the inherent professionalism of the Group's representatives enabled deliberations to proceed constructively and productively; and

WHEREAS, on January 21, 2004, after two and one-half years and thousands of hours of unprecedented effort, the group, on a two-thirds vote of its members, with noted exception due to attendance representation, submitted draft legislation to the 2004 Legislature, which was introduced as H.B. No. 2800; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that this body hereby recognizes and expresses its deep appreciation to all the dedicated individuals of the agricultural working group, as well as their respective management, agencies, and organizations for their outstanding support and meaningful contributions, which have resulted in meeting the goal of preparing and introducing historic legislation for the conservation and protection of important agricultural lands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the conveners of the group, Dr. Andrew G. Hashimoto, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Ms. Sandra Lee Kunimoto, Chair of the Board of Agriculture; Mr. Dan Davidson, Deputy to the Chair of the Department of Land and Natural Resources; and Mr. Anthony J.H. Ching, Executive Officer of the Land Use Commission, are hereby commended for their perseverance, commitment, and leadership, without which the Group could not have accomplished its goal; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Ms. Donna Ching of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Ms. Jane Yamashiro of Enterprise Honolulu are acknowledged for their roles as meeting facilitators; and Mr. Anthony J.H. Ching, Executive Officer of the Land Use Commission, is additionally recognized for his exceptional knowledge, professionalism, and facilitating skills used to maintain decorum throughout the final four and most critical Group meetings especially during the voting process, in the face of strongly opposing viewpoints and time constraints; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the group sub-committee chairpersons are accorded deserved recognition for their essential contributions, including Ms. Donna Wong of Hawaii's Thousand Friends; Mr. Myron Murakami of Hawaii Farm Bureau; Mr. Jeff Melrose of Kamehameha Schools; Ms. Ruby Edwards of the Office of Planning of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Ms. JoAnn Yukimura of the Kauai County Council; Mr. Tracy Stice of Century 21/Hawaii Realtors Association; and Mr. John Summers of Maui County; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that deep appreciation is hereby conveyed to the group support staff for their dedication and outstanding performance, especially Ms. Karen Stahl of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, who was responsible for e-mail correspondence and distribution of minutes and notices; Ms. Kathy Lu of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who maintained the website; and Ms. Ruby Edwards of the Office of Planning of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, who coordinated, recorded, and prepared minutes and bill drafts.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Recognizing the Agricultural Working Group