STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1709

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.R. No. 131

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.R. No. 131 entitled:

 

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF PLANNING TO ESTABLISH AN AGRICULTURAL HOUSING TASK FORCE TO STUDY EXISTING COUNTY AND STATE LAWS, RULES, AND PROCESSES TO PLAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ON-FARM EMPLOYEE HOUSING WITHIN THE STATE AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Office of Planning to establish an agricultural housing task force to study existing county and state laws, rules, and processes to plan for the construction of on-farm employee housing within the state agricultural district.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Ulupono Initiative, Hawaii Center for Food Safety, Share Your Mana, Pono Hawaii Initiative, Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, Greenleaf Farm, and forty-five individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning.

 

     Your Committees find that sustainability and self-sufficiency in agriculture and local food production are a priority for the State.  Your Committees also find that economically safe, sanitary, and affordable on-farm employee housing is critical for working farms to attract and retain long-term and short-term farm workers.  However, on-farm housing must comply with different layers of regulations at the federal level and laws and rules at the state and county levels.  Furthermore, many of the laws and rules governing construction of traditional residential housing units are ill-suited to the demands and economic realities of working farms.  Your Committees further find that these existing laws, rules, and processes preclude farms from providing safe, sanitary, and affordable on-farm employee housing to attract and retain farm workers, and stand as an obstacle to the State's agricultural self-sufficiency.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Updating findings regarding the legal and regulatory environment relating to on-farm housing;

 

     (2)  Indicating the Legislature's support of the intent of existing laws to prevent the use of agricultural lands for primarily residential use and the Legislature's recognition that supporting housing for actual farm workers on farms producing commercial agricultural products must be tailored for that purpose;

 

     (3)  Specifying that the agricultural housing task force is requested to:

 

          (A)  Limit its recommendations to those that support the construction of on-farm housing on working farms;

 

          (B)  Consider, in addition to modular housing, portable and temporary employee housing, which can be removed if a farm ceases production; and

 

          (C)  Propose a master use application process, laws, and rules that can be applied throughout the State to issue a discretionary permit for the construction of on-farm employee housing on active commercial farms; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 131, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 131, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Agriculture and Environment,

 

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair

 

________________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Chair