HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
87 |
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE; THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; AND THE COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE REGARDING FOOD SAFETY.
WHEREAS, food safety is crucial to the health and welfare of the people of Hawaii and of the other United States; and
WHEREAS, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act, Public Law 111-153, was signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011; and
WHEREAS, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act aims to ensure that the United States' food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to food contamination to preventing it; and
WHEREAS, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act provides for a formal system of collaboration with other government agencies, and recognizes that all food safety agencies should work together in an integrated way to achieve common public health goals; and
WHEREAS, in Hawaii, the regulation of food safety at the state level is divided between different agencies, particularly the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health; and
WHEREAS, agency responsibilities regarding food safety should be clearly defined to avoid redundancy and ensure sufficient oversight; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Department of Agriculture; the Department of Health; and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, are requested to review the expanded requirements of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, food safety requirements of the United States Department of Agriculture, and applicable sections of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and Hawaii Administrative Rules regarding food safety; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa are requested to recommend any:
(1) Necessary changes to the Hawaii Revised Statutes and the Hawaii Administrative Rules regarding jurisdictional responsibilities, including changes necessary to clarify that the Department of Agriculture is responsible for the oversight of food safety on farms, and that the Department of Health is responsible for the oversight of food safety after food products leave farms;
(2) Funding necessary to ensure food safety; and
(3) Other reforms necessary to ensure food safety.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa are requested to report their findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2019; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; the Director of Agriculture; the Director of Health; and the Dean and Director of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human
Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Food Safety; Department of Agriculture; Department of Health