Bill Text: HI SB757 | 2013 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Agriculture; Future Farmers of America Program; Appropriation ($)

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2013-07-02 - Act 204, 6/26/2013 (Gov. Msg. No. 1307). [SB757 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2013-SB757-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1042

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   S.B. No. 757

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 757, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to help ensure the viability of the State's livestock industry by:

 

     (1)  Appropriating unspecified funds to continue the Livestock Revitalization Program;

 

     (2)  Adjusting the amount of the subsidy received under the Program to the lesser of an unspecified amount per year or an unspecified percentage of food costs incurred per year for production of poultry products, milk, or pigs and beef cattle raised and slaughtered and fish or crustaceans aquaculturally farmed in Hawaii for local consumption;

 

     (3)  Expanding the livestock subsidy to include feed costs incurred by qualified producers of goat milk with a herd of at least 25 lactating milking goats per fiscal quarter;

 

     (4)  Expanding the livestock subsidy to include feed costs incurred by qualified producers of sheep or lamb that are raised, slaughtered, processed, and marketed in the State with annual sales of at least 30 sheep or lambs; provided that the herd shall not fall five percent below 30 sheep per fiscal quarter;

 

     (5)  Expanding the livestock subsidy to include feed costs incurred by qualified producers of fish or crustaceans, farmed by aquacultural practices, with current annual sales of at least 2,000 pounds; provided that sales shall not fall five percent below 500 pounds per fiscal quarter;

 

     (6)  Prohibiting the reimbursement of feed costs to qualified producers when the amount of reimbursement will result in an annual profit of more than an unspecified percentage for sheep, lamb meat, or seafood producers; and

 

     (7)  Requiring funds for the Program to be expended from the Agricultural Development and Food Security Special Fund.

 

     The Department of Agriculture; Hawaii Aquaculture and Aquaponics Association; Ulupono Initiative; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc.; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Hawaii Pork Industry Association provided comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Lowering the number of sows needed for pig farmers to qualify as "qualified producers" from 50 to 20 for the purposes of qualifying for livestock revitalization grants;

 

     (2)  Specifying that qualified producers will not be eligible for livestock revitalization grants when the herd size of the qualified producer falls five percent below 20 sows, rather than 50 sows, in any two months of an applicable fiscal quarter; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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 S.B. No. 757, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 757, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

 

 

		____________________________ JESSICA WOOLEY, Chair