Bill Text: HI SB335 | 2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Agriculture.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-03-19 - The committee(s) on AGR recommend(s) that the measure be deferred. [SB335 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-SB335-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
335 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the agribusiness development corporation was established in 1994, to address the issues of large tracts of land becoming available due to the downsizing of the sugar and pineapple industries.
The legislature further finds that Hawaii now faces different issues in agriculture, mainly sustainable agriculture and local food production. According to the agribusiness development corporation's 2019 report to the legislature, the corporation manages over 22,000 acres of public agricultural lands with significant potential to shape the State's agricultural public policy toward the goal of food self-sufficiency. The lack of affordable agricultural land with long-term leases is cited as a key inhibitor of the growth and expansion of local agriculture.
The purpose of this Act is to:
(1) Ensure that the agribusiness development corporation prioritizes food production for local consumption; and
(2) Ensure transparency and accountability by requiring the department of agriculture and agribusiness development corporation to submit reports to the legislature on the department's and corporation's leasing activities.
SECTION 2. Section 163D-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"[[]§163D-1[]] Findings
and purpose. The legislature finds
that the downsizing of the sugar and pineapple industries is presenting an
unprecedented opportunity for the conversion of agriculture into a dynamic growth
industry[.], including local food production. Within the next decade, seventy-five thousand
acres of agricultural lands and fifty million gallons per day of irrigation
water are expected to be released by plantations. The downsizing of the sugar and pineapple
industries will idle a valuable inventory of supporting infrastructure
including irrigation systems, roads, drainage systems, processing facilities,
workshops, and warehouses. The challenge
to government and business is to conserve and convert the arable lands and
their associated production infrastructure in a timely manner into new
productive uses, including local food production, that are based upon
strategies developed from detailed marketing analysis and monitoring of local,
national, and international opportunities.
Constantly evolving economies require an aggressive and dynamic leadership
for the promotion and development of agricultural enterprises, and centralized
leadership to coordinate industry development, provide industry-wide services,
provide marketing assistance, and facilitate investments and coventures in
viable enterprises.
The
purpose of this chapter is to create a vehicle and process to make optimal use
of agricultural assets for the economic, environmental, and social benefit of
the people of Hawaii. This chapter
establishes a public corporation to administer an aggressive and dynamic
agribusiness development program. The
corporation shall coordinate and administer programs to assist agricultural
enterprises to facilitate the transition of agricultural infrastructure from
plantation operations into other agricultural enterprises, including those promoting
local food production, to carry on the marketing analysis to direct
agricultural industry evolution, and to provide the leadership for the
development, financing, improvement, or enhancement of agricultural enterprises[.]
and local food production."
SECTION 3. Section 163D-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding two new definitions to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:
""Local
food production" means crops, livestock, poultry, and other foods that are
grown and raised in Hawaii, at least in part, for direct consumption by Hawaii residents
and visitors.
"Primary business" as used in this subchapter means at least fifty percent of the entity's production or harvest shall be distributed for local consumption in Hawaii."
SECTION 4. Section 163D-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§163D-3 Agribusiness development corporation; board of directors; established. (a) There is established the agribusiness development corporation, which shall be a public body corporate and politic and an instrumentality and agency of the State. The corporation shall be headed by a board of directors. The corporation shall be placed within the department of agriculture for administrative purposes, but the corporation may later incorporate as a nonprofit corporation if this proves desirable to further its objectives; provided that such reorganization as a nonprofit corporation shall not adversely affect the federal tax status of the interest on any bonds issued to finance any project or project facility.
(b) The board of directors of the corporation shall consist of eleven voting members, of whom eight shall be appointed by the governor. The terms of these eight members shall be four years; provided that, commencing on July 1, 2005, the governor shall reduce the terms of those initially appointed so as to provide, as nearly as can be, for the expiration of an equal number of terms at intervals of one year.
The eight members shall be selected on the basis of their knowledge, experience, and proven expertise in small and large businesses within the agricultural industry, agricultural economics, banking, real estate, finance, promotion, marketing, and management.
Of these eight members:
(1) [one] One shall be from the city
and county of Honolulu[,];
(2) [one] One shall be from the
county of Hawaii[,];
(3) [one] One shall be from the
county of Maui[,];
(4) [one] One shall be from the
county of Kauai[,];
(5) Two shall be representatives of local farmers' or ranchers' associations, one each to be nominated by the chairs of the house of representatives and senate committees on agriculture; and
(6) [four] Two shall be appointed
at-large.
The director of business, economic development, and tourism; the chairperson of the board of agriculture; and the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources, or their designated representatives, shall be ex-officio, voting members of the board. All members shall continue in office until their respective successors have been appointed and qualified. The board shall annually elect its chairperson from among its members; provided that the chairperson shall not be an ex-officio member.
(c) The members of the board shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
(d) The board shall appoint an executive director, who shall serve at the pleasure of the board and shall be exempt from chapter 76. The salary of the executive director shall be set by the board.
(e) The board, through its executive director, may appoint officers, agents, and employees; prescribe their duties and qualifications; and fix their salaries, without regard to chapter 76.
(f) Meetings of the board shall be subject to the requirements
set forth in part I of chapter 92."
SECTION 5. Section 163D-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a) The corporation shall prepare the Hawaii agribusiness plan which shall define and establish goals, objectives, policies, and priority guidelines for its agribusiness development strategy. The plan shall include but not be limited to:
(1) An inventory of agricultural lands with suitable adequate water resources that are or will become available due to the downsizing of the sugar and pineapple industries that can be used to meet present and future agricultural production needs;
(2) An inventory of agricultural infrastructure that will be abandoned by sugar and pineapple industries such as irrigation systems, drainage systems, processing facilities, and other accessory facilities;
(3) An analysis of imported agricultural products and the potential for increasing local production to replace imported products in a manner that complements existing local producers and increases Hawaii's agricultural self-sufficiency;
(4) Alternatives in the establishment of sound financial programs to promote the development of diversified agriculture;
(5) Feasible strategies for the promotion, marketing, and distribution of Hawaii agricultural products in local, national, and international markets;
(6) Programs to promote and facilitate the absorbing of displaced agricultural workers into alternative agricultural enterprises;
(7) Strategies to insure the provision of adequate air and surface transportation services and supporting facilities to support the agricultural industry in meeting local, national, and international market needs;
(8) Proposals to improve the gathering of data and the timely presentation of information on market demands and trends that can be used to plan future harvests and production; and
(9) Strategies for federal and state legislative
actions that will promote the development and enhancement of Hawaii's
agricultural industries[.], and in particular local food production."
SECTION 6. Section 163D-15.6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:
"§163D-15.6 Commitment and preservation of agricultural
leases. (a)
The [agribusiness development] corporation shall work toward
obtaining commitments from landowners in the leeward and central districts of
Oahu that their agricultural leases shall be for a duration of twenty or more
years and shall not be amended or revoked to allow for a nonagricultural use of
the land; provided that for lands in central Oahu acquired under Act 234, Session
Laws of Hawaii 2008, the agricultural leases shall be for no more than
fifty-five years.
(b)
To further ensure the preservation of agriculture in the leeward and
central districts of Oahu, the [agribusiness development] corporation
shall monitor the agricultural leases of lands using the water from the
Waiahole water system. In the event of any
proposed amendment or revocation of any lease, the corporation shall do all
things within its powers under this chapter to protect and defend the interests
of the agricultural leaseholders to ensure the continuation of agricultural use
for those lands.
(c) Beginning January 1, 2022, the department of agriculture and corporation shall annually lease or license at least fifty per cent of land eligible for lease or license or lease or license renewal, to agricultural operations whose primary business is food or crop production for local consumption, or for purposes that support food or crop production for local consumption."
SECTION 7. Chapter 141, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"141- Reporting
requirements; leased lands. (a) The
department of agriculture shall submit an annual report to the legislature, and
post the report on its website, no later than twenty days prior to the convening
of each regular session. The report shall
contain the following information regarding its leased lands:
(1) The number of lots leased by size and island;
(2) The number of lots leased that contain protocols
and conditions supporting specialty farm products by island;
(3) The number of vacant parcels and unoccupied
parcels in the leasing process by island, including the parcel size, location, and
date the parcel was last occupied by a tenant; and
(4) A description of any lease sales or transfers by lessees approved by the board of agriculture, including:
(A) A
description of the type of farm products produced by the transferring lessee and
the farm products to be produced by the accepting lessee on the leased lands; and
(B) The date and description of the transferring lessee's last lease approved by the board of agriculture."
SECTION 8. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
Department of Agriculture; Agribusiness Development Corporation; Diversified Agriculture; Leased Lands; Reporting Requirements; Local Food Production; Enterprise
Description:
Requires the department of agriculture and agribusiness development corporation to annually lease at least fifty per cent of land leased or up for lease renewal to operations whose primary business is, or supports, local food production beginning 1/1/2022. Requires the department of agriculture and agribusiness development corporation to submit reports to the legislature on leasing activities. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
