Food, agriculture bills appear to fail in final hearing

A host of food and agriculture bills appears dead after a frenetic conference committee hearing at the state Legislature on Friday.

On the final day to get funding for bills that needed it, some popular food and agriculture bills that had made it through most of the legislative session gantlet didn’t get a hearing.

Bills such as House Bill 1248, which would have provided matching funds for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries and funds for DA BUX, both low-income food programs in Hawaii, failed to get a hearing Friday.

One of the last surviving taro-related bills this session, Senate Bill 782, which would have established a grant program for taro growers in Hawaii, appears not to have made the cut, either.

It’s not uncommon for bills to die on the last day of conference, but many of those that did would’ve been a boon for local agriculture.

“Some of them were really good bills. The community might be disappointed that those measures didn’t pass,” said state Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa (D, Captain Cook- Kealakekua-Kailua-Kona), vice chair of the House Committee of Agriculture and Food Systems.

House Bill 308, which would have created a sustainable food systems working group to address long-standing systemic issues in Hawaii, had little opposition over the course of the session but also faltered at the last minute.

The bill was a priority for key lawmakers, including state Rep. Cedric Gates (D, Waianae-Makaha), who chairs the committee.

“There needs to be synergy to get us where we need to be, because it is a big task for us to become self-sufficient, given that we have been so dependent on ships and containers to be our main source of food as well as other products that we need for our day-to-day-lives,” he said.

House Bills 607, 610 and 612 would have provided tax credits for Hawaii farmers and producers, but all were without a hearing Friday.

HB 607 would have established a tax credit for interisland shipping costs for farmers, ranchers, food hubs and distributors; HB 610 would’ve established a tax credit for farms to retain skilled farm laborers; and HB 612 would have offered tax credits to small- and medium-size farmers in Hawaii.

“We find it unfortunate that the volume of bills that had made it so close to the finish line, that would have provided significant support to farmers across the state … (and) those that would have had direct benefit to families facing food insecurity (did not make it),” said Hunter Heaivilin, advocacy director for the Hawaii Farmers Union United.

Some of the bills could have died because they received funding through the state budget bill, House Bill 300, although it’s unclear how many, if any, made it into the bill, Kaha­loa said.

Some agriculture bills did make it through Friday’s conference hearings, including House Bill 307, which allows the state Department of Agriculture to extend the agricultural park lease set to expire in 15 years or less.

House Bill 1382 would allow for the donation of wild game such as axis deer and boar to undersourced communities. The bill would also establish a task force within the DOA to expand the state’s meat processing capacity to allow wild game to be processed and distributed by nonprofit food distribution services.

The passage of House Bill 1359 would streamline the hemp production process, while Senate Bill 1588 would fund the establishment of a University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources food safety training and certification program.