Bill Text: HI HB1717 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Industrial Hemp; Animal Feed; Department of Agriculture
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-11 - The committee(s) on AGR recommend(s) that the measure be deferred. [HB1717 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2016-HB1717-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1717 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to industrial hemp.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the Hawaii livestock industry consistently identifies the cost of feed as the most expensive component of operational costs. Feed costs have prompted national and global efforts to reduce costs by replacing high-cost ingredients with lower-cost alternatives. Hawaii's situation is exacerbated by the lack of local feed mills, which necessitates the importation of livestock feed. Importation increases the price of feed and oftentimes it is cheaper to send cattle to the mainland for finishing. Years of research and local workshops to encourage and support the development of locally produced feed have not reduced the costs of feed stock in the State.
The legislature further finds that a growing number of states and countries authorize the cultivation of hemp for animal feed purposes. When used for animal feed, hemp is a safe, nutritious, and economical alternative to traditional animal feeds. Hemp is high in protein and easily digestible, compared to corn. Hemp is also less costly to grow than corn and many animals that consume hemp as part of their diet require less antibiotics.
The legislature further finds that while various federal laws prohibit individuals from growing hemp, section 7606 of the United States Agricultural Act of 2014 creates an exemption for institutions of higher education and state departments of agriculture to grow and cultivate hemp for research. This exemption has allowed the State, pursuant to Act 56, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014, to establish a two-year industrial hemp remediation and biofuel crop research program.
At the program's current test site in Waimanalo on Oahu, researchers from the college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa have shown that in Hawaii's climate, multiple crops can be planted and harvested each year. Yields have been better than expected, even without added fertilizer and at fairly low levels of irrigation. For seed hemp, the projected yield is about 2.5 tons of seed per acre per year. For fiber hemp, the projected yield for stalks ranges from twenty-seven to thirty-eight tons of stalks per year, depending on planting density, and the projected yield for leaves ranges from thirty-one to thirty-five tons of leaves per acre per year, depending on planting density.
These results are impressive, and show the enormous potential for industrial hemp cultivation in Hawaii. Expanding industrial hemp research into areas beyond soil remediation and biofuel development – for example, its use as animal feed – is the next obvious step, since the law that established the current program will be repealed on July 1, 2016.
The purpose of this Act is to authorize the chairperson of the board of agriculture to allow persons to temporarily and for a limited purpose act on behalf of the department of agriculture so they may grow and cultivate hemp for animal feed in compliance with the Agricultural Act of 2014, section 7606.
SECTION 2. (a) The chairperson of the board of agriculture shall establish a two-year industrial hemp animal feed research pilot program that shall include authorizing selected persons to act on behalf of the department of agriculture for purposes of growing or cultivating industrial hemp in accordance with the requirements established under section 7606 of the federal Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79) and this Act. The chairperson may work in collaboration with any institution of higher education in the State.
(b) The department of agriculture shall certify that the seed stock to be used by each person in the research program is for growing industrial hemp that is appropriate to be used as animal feed. The research program established under subsection (a) shall only use industrial hemp seed stock that is certified by the department of agriculture. If the seed stock cannot be verified by the department of agriculture as industrial hemp seed stock, the chairperson shall not permit that person to commence the growing or cultivation of industrial hemp for the research program.
(c) The chairperson shall allow no more than twenty persons to act on behalf of the department of agriculture for purposes of this Act. No provision of this Act shall cause any person who is acting on behalf of the department of agriculture for purposes of this Act to be considered an employee of the department of agriculture or part of the State for any other purpose.
(d) Any person growing hemp for animal feed pursuant to this Act may sell the hemp as commercial feed pursuant to chapter 144, Hawaii Revised Statutes; provided that no part of the hemp sold shall contain a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of more than 0.3 per cent on a dry weight basis.
(e) The department of agriculture may establish rules, without regard to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to implement this Act.
(f) For purposes of this Act, the term "industrial hemp" means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 per cent on a dry weight basis. Any plant that meets the definition of "industrial hemp" under this Act shall not constitute "marijuana" as defined in section 329-1 or 712-1240, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
SECTION 3. (a) No person shall be subject to any civil or criminal sanctions in this State for growing or possessing industrial hemp; provided that the person's growing or possession of industrial hemp is part of the person's participation in the two-year hemp animal feed research program and the person's participation is in full compliance with the requirements of the program.
(b) The department of agriculture shall test and monitor the plants growing on each test site to ensure that no marijuana is grown. If marijuana is found to be growing or being cultivated on any test site, then the research project for that test site shall cease immediately.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2016, and shall be repealed on July 1, 2018.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Industrial Hemp; Animal Feed; Department of Agriculture
Description:
Requires the DOA to establish a pilot project to allow people to grow industrial hemp for animal feed.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
