STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1388

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.C.R. No. 129

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 129 entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF ATRAZINE ON HUMAN HEALTH,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to request that the Director of Health establish a task force to study the effects of atrazine on human health.

 

     Hawaii SEED, GMO Free Kauai, Babes Against Biotech, Ohana O Kauai, and numerous individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.  Syngenta Hawaii, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, and Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation provided testimony in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, and a few individuals provided comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committees note that the Department of Health stated that it has limited data on air, surface water, and nearshore effects of atrazine and other pesticides used in Hawaii.

 


     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Amending its title to read "REQUESTING THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS TO ADDRESS THE DATA GAP ON AIR, SURFACE WATER, AND NEARSHORE EFFECTS OF ATRAZINE";

 

     (2)  Deleting the provisions that request the Director of Health to establish a task force to study the effects of atrazine on human health and that establish membership and procedures for the task force;

 

     (3)  Inserting new provisions requesting the Director of Health to develop partnerships to address the gap in data on air, surface water, and nearshore effects of atrazine;

 

     (4)  Amending reporting requirements to request that the Director of Health include reports of progress in the requested report to Legislature;

 

     (5)  Specifying that only the Director of Health receive a certified copy of this measure; and

 

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 129, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 129, H.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health,

 

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

 

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair