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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
147 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING FEDERAL and state agencies to consult with Hawaii Small SCALE Farmers, HAWAII SMALL SCALE PRODUCERS, AND AFFECTED PARTIES on the offsetting of COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT.
WHEREAS, the State supports Hawaii's farmers and seeks to create connections to food security and locally grown products for the health and well-being of communities and economic stability for producers; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii recognizes the important role that agriculture, food, and nutrition play in the social and economic well-being of local communities; and
WHEREAS, the State has a responsibility to ensure that communities have access to healthy, nutritious food; and
WHEREAS, on January 4, 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law to better protect public health by strengthening the food system; and
WHEREAS, in January 2013, the Food and Drug Administration published Produce Safety and Preventive Control Rules to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act, in addition to six proposed rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act, all without meaningful consultation with the citizens of Hawaii, particularly Hawaii small scale farmers; and
WHEREAS, many Hawaii small scale farmers are bound by contract to use the land they lease for the purpose of farming or ranching, and they will be particularly vulnerable to costs associated with conforming to the standards outlined in the Food Safety Modernization Act; and
WHEREAS, the Food Safety Modernization Act will have a significant and direct impact on more than ninety per cent of Hawaii's farmers who generate less than $500,000 per year in adjusted gross income; and
WHEREAS, many Hawaii farms are at risk if exposed to further financial burdens because farming expenditures, including land, lease costs, water, labor, feed, fertilizer, and energy, are more expensive in Hawaii than in most areas of the continental United States; and
WHEREAS, the required regulatory cost analysis issued by the Food and Drug Administration when drafting and publishing rules to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act does not take into consideration the unique cost burdens applicable to these island farmers; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the federal Food and Drug Administration, state Department of Agriculture, and state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands are requested to participate in meaningful consultation with Hawaii small scale farmers, Hawaii small scale producers, and affected parties to find ways to provide financial relief to offset the costs associated with the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act so that Hawaii's small farmers are able to maintain viable farm operations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the federal Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, and Hawaii's congressional delegation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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FDA; Food Safety Modernization Act; Hawaiian Homestead Farmers