Bill Text: HI HB275 | 2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Taro.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2023-12-11 - Carried over to 2024 Regular Session. [HB275 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-HB275-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
275 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO TARO.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii imports approximately eighty-five per cent of its food and is considered highly vulnerable in food security as a state. Climate change significantly increases this vulnerability with sea level rise and intensified weather patterns in the Pacific, such as droughts, hurricanes, and floods. In 2016, the governor pledged to double food production in Hawaii by 2030 at the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress, as part of Hawaii's commitments to the world and the State and in order to begin to address this heavy reliance on imports.
The legislature further finds that small farms on ten acres or less in Hawaii produce a significant portion of locally-grown and locally-consumed food on each island. The small farm sector of agriculture is growing, yet the 2017 census of agriculture reported that the average small-scale farmer in Hawaii made less than $40,000 per year, with losses of almost $10,000 annually due to the high costs of farming, including land and water. To achieve the State's 2030 goal for local food production, there is an urgent need to better support small farmers, including through small economic incentives to build a larger market.
The legislature additionally finds that the department of agriculture has identified staple starches as the greatest food security risk in the State. Taro is a hypoallergenic complex carbohydrate that plays a critical role in the health of families, particularly Native Hawaiians. Yet, the cost of poi renders poi inaccessible to families most in need of this important staple starch food. Taro is one of Hawaii's highest yielding staple starch food crops, producing ten thousand and twenty thousand pounds per acre per annum under wet and dry cultivation, respectively; however, taro is severely underproduced in the State. The 2017 census of agriculture reported two hundred seven farms and four hundred ninety-five acres of taro in wetland and dryland production. An estimated two hundred to three hundred additional acres are unreported or in subsistence taro cultivation. Annual reported production averages four million pounds; however, taro imports are estimated to soon exceed local production.
The legislature also finds that loi kalo, or wetland taro systems, are additionally recognized for their potential to mitigate other impacts of climate change by functioning as riparian buffers and sediment retention basins. Underground foods, such as taro, can often survive hurricanes or flood events and can be harvested to address immediate food shortages where the capacity to store and cook food can be retained.
The legislature further finds that, in its 2010 report to the legislature, the taro security and purity task force made several recommendations to make taro farming affordable, including improving access to land, water, mentoring, and economic incentives. The legislature recognizes the critical importance of protecting and perpetuating the traditional practice of taro farming as part of Hawaii's cultural identity and finds that there is a compelling interest in providing funding to taro farmers in Hawaii to continue the traditional practice of taro farming in the State.
The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the department of agriculture to provide grants to assist taro farmers in meeting the costs of cultivating taro for consumption.
SECTION 2. Chapter 141, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§141- Grant
program; taro farmers. (a) There is established in the department of
agriculture a grant program to assist taro farmers in meeting the costs of
cultivating taro for consumption.
(b) The program shall provide grants to qualified
applicants under the following terms, conditions, and standards:
(1) The total
amount of a grant to any one applicant shall not exceed
$ ;
(2) No grant shall
be awarded for costs that were incurred more than five years prior to the time
the application for the grant is received by the department;
(3) Any grant shall
be used exclusively for the purposes of the program;
(4) The applicant
shall indicate capability to properly use the grant for costs that were
incurred cultivating taro for consumption; provided that no grant shall be
awarded unless money has been spent by the applicant toward cultivating taro
for consumption;
(5) The applicant
shall comply with all applicable federal and state laws prohibiting
discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin,
religion, creed, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic
protected under applicable federal or state law;
(6) The grant shall
not be used for purposes of entertainment or perquisites;
(7) All activities
undertaken with grant funds received shall comply with all applicable federal,
state, and county statutes and ordinances;
(8) The grantee
shall:
(A) Indemnify
and hold harmless the State of Hawaii and its officers, agents, and employees
from and against any and all claims arising out of or resulting from activities
carried out or projects undertaken with funds received from the program; and
(B) Obtain
sufficient insurance to provide the indemnification under subparagraph (A), if
requested to do so by the department of agriculture; and
(9) The grantee
shall agree to make available to the department of agriculture all records the
grantee may have relating to the grant to monitor the grantee's compliance with
the requirements of the program.
(c) The department of agriculture shall adopt rules to implement the grant program. The grant applications shall be reviewed and approved by an administrative staff member of the department."
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the department of agriculture to provide grants under the grant program established pursuant to section 2 of this Act.
The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on June 30, 3000.
Report Title:
Department of Agriculture; Taro Farmers; Grants; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates funds to the department of agriculture to provide grants to assist taro farmers in meeting the costs of cultivating taro for consumption. Effective 6/30/3000. (HD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
