STAND. COM. REP. NO.  78

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 853

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 853 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to implement the recommendation of the Hawaii Agricultural Workforce Advisory Board to create an Agriculture Workforce Development Pipeline Initiative to conduct training on all islands for teachers and school administrators in agricultural self-sufficiency.

 

     The Department of Agriculture, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of Hawaii System, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, Hawaii Island School Garden Network, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, and an individual testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Education testified in support of the intent of this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amount for the development, operation, and implementation of the K-12 Agriculture Workforce Development Pipeline Initiative to an unspecified amount; and

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date of this measure to January 20, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

 

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $500,000 for the development, operation, and implementation of the K-12 Agriculture Workforce Development Pipeline Initiative, including the hiring of a full-time equivalent coordinator and workforce development specialist.

 

     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. 853, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 853, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Education.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair