Bill Text: HI SB762 | 2020 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Relating To Agriculture Education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-06-22 - Received notice of discharge of all House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 363). [SB762 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2020-SB762-Amended.html

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THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	762
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE EDUCATION.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the average age of farmers in Hawaii is over sixty years, and Hawaii does not have an adequate-sized farming workforce for expansion of cultivated agricultural lands and food production.  A primary cause of the shortage of new farmers in Hawaii during the past several decades is the decline of support for agriculture education from state government, including training for agriculture teachers, resulting in an insufficient interest in pursuing the fields of agriculture and natural resource management among youth.  Prospective farmers face challenges in terms of access to land, and farming today requires a more diverse skill set than in the past, including crop and livestock production, marketing, food safety, regulatory compliance, environmental stewardship, business skills, and more.  Whereas ancestral Hawaiians were completely self-sufficient, today Hawaii imports approximately eighty-five to ninety per cent of our food, and the health of Hawaii's people, aina, and food systems is suffering.

     In order to meet the State's aspirations for increased food security and self-sufficiency, the number of local farms and farmers and the amount of food produced for local markets will need to increase significantly.  Agriculture education is key to the development of future farmers and to a society that values and understands the vital role of agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resource systems in advancing personal, local, and global well-being.  During the past decade, a vibrant grassroots movement in support of agriculture education has emerged in Hawaii, along with a marked increase in new farmer training programs and student involvement in Future Farmers of America.

     To encourage this momentum, the Hawaii State Senate adopted S.R. No. 80, Regular Session of 2015, that requested the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of tropical agriculture and human resources to "convene a working group to develop a coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education and a plan for implementation", including any proposed legislation, through annual reports to the legislature prior to the 2017, 2018, and 2019 legislative sessions.

     For three years, the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of tropical agriculture and human resources has convened the P‑20 agriculture education working group, which includes governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.  The group's final report to the legislature outlined a coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education in the State and asserts that implementation of the framework will require that a P-20 agriculture education coordinator position be established within the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of tropical agriculture and human resources and funded for the purposes of overseeing ongoing communication and collaboration of the P-20 agriculture education working group and spearheading the implementation plan.

     The legislature finds that effectuation of the coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education in the State by the P-20 agriculture education coordinator and working group will result in the following desired outcomes:

     (1)  Increased number of students exposed to agriculture education at all levels (preschool through post-secondary) in public, charter, and independent schools;

     (2)  Increased number of public school students entering and completing the career and technical education natural resources career pathway in agriculture;

     (3)  Increased number of students entering and completing higher education programs in agriculture and food systems;

     (4)  Increased number of teachers trained in agriculture education;

     (5)  Increased number of local farms and farmers; and

     (6)  Increased local food supply and food security.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish and fund the P-20 agriculture education coordinator position within the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of tropical agriculture and human resources to oversee ongoing communication and collaboration of the P-20 agriculture education working group and to lead the implementation plan for a coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education in the State.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§304A-    P-20 agriculture education coordinator.  There is established within the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of tropical agriculture and human resources the position of coordinator of preschool through post-secondary agriculture education, to be known as the P-20 agriculture education coordinator.  The coordinator shall oversee ongoing communication and collaboration of the P-20 agriculture education working group and lead implementation of the coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education in the State."

     SECTION 3.  The P-20 agriculture education coordinator and working group shall carry out the implementation plan for the coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education in the State pursuant to section 304A-  , Hawaii Revised Statutes, as follows:

     (1)  Teacher development:  Prioritize teacher training in agriculture and food systems education at all levels (preschool through post-secondary) for those preparing to become teachers, as well as additional professional development for those already in classrooms;

     (2)  Curricular integration:  Integrate agriculture education into the core curriculum in all subject areas at all levels (preschool through post-secondary);

     (3)  Agriculture educators:  Establish and fund positions at the state, community, and school levels that directly support teacher development and curricular integration around agriculture and food systems; and

     (4)  Capacity building:

          (A)  Continue communication and collaboration of the P-20 agriculture education working group and its subcommittees;

          (B)  Plan and conduct ongoing needs assessments and progress evaluations;

          (C)  Cultivate new partnerships and seek alignment with other relevant initiatives, including the department of labor and industrial relations agriculture workforce advisory group;

          (D)  Identify and write proposals for additional sources of funding; and

          (E)  Submit a report of findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session.

     SECTION 4.  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 2019-2020 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020-2021 for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) P-20 agriculture education coordinator position within the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of tropical agriculture and human resources to oversee ongoing communication and collaboration of the P-20 agriculture education working group and to lead the implementation plan for a coordinated framework of support for preschool through post-secondary agriculture education in Hawaii.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.
     SECTION 5.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2052.

 

 

Report Title:

UH; P-20 Agriculture Education Coordinator; Working Group; Implementation Plan; Appropriation

 

Description:

Establishes and appropriates funds for 1 FTE P-20 agriculture education coordinator position within the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.  Specifies duties of the coordinator and P-20 agriculture education working group.  (SB762 HD1)

 

 

 

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