CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 94-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2016

RE:    H.B. No. 1997

       S.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1997, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to promote the expansion and development of the State's agricultural industry by:

(1)  Establishing the K-12 Agriculture Workforce Development Pipeline Initiative Program (Program) in the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to conduct training sessions in agricultural self-sufficiency for teachers and school administrators on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kauai; and

(2)  Appropriating funds to develop, operate, and implement the Program, including hiring a full-time coordinator and a workforce development specialist.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by

(1)  Specifying the appropriation amount of $200,000 to be used to hire only one full-time equivalent coordinator for the Program; and

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2016.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1997, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1997, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair	____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Co-Chair
____________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Co-Chair	____________________________ MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Co-Chair
____________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Co-Chair	____________________________ RICHARD H.K. ONISHI, Co-Chair
____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Co-Chair