STAND. COM. REP. 25

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 315

 

 

 

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. 315 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRIBUSINESS INCUBATORS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate $500,000 for the development of the agribusiness incubator initiative.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation. The Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources supported the intent of this bill.

Your Committee finds that agribusiness incubators provide much-needed assistance to agricultural entrepreneurs and help to bridge the gap between the development of diversified agricultural products or services and the establishment of viable businesses based on such products or services. Your Committee believes that agribusiness incubators will spur market-driven ventures and identify markets for new and existing agricultural products.

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. 315 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Higher Education.

 

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

 

____________________________

FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair