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HB1393
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO.
1393
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating
to agricultural statistics
.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION
1.
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The legislature finds that in 2024, the
department of agriculture launched a statewide process to address key economic
challenges facing the agricultural sector.
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Agricultural producers and organizations
expressed the need for a unified vision and strategic approach to advance the
industry.
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The department of agriculture recognizes
its pivotal role in this transformation and has developed short-term actions
and a long-term strategy aimed at addressing complex issues in 2025 and beyond.
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The
existing agricultural statistics program plays a crucial role in providing agricultural
producers and policymakers with essential data to guide short-term
decision-making and long-term strategic planning.
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However, the department of agriculture
recognizes the agriculture sector's challenges with accessing accurate and
timely data.
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This Act aims to modernize
the collection, analysis, and dissemination of agricultural statistics,
leveraging electronic data collection methods to provide critical insights into
the movement of agricultural goods into the State and between and within the
Hawaiian islands, and will include production, sales, and market trends.
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The objectives
of this Act are to collect, analyze, and report data on the production,
distribution, and sale of select agricultural products between and within the
Hawaiian islands; provide producers with the information needed to make
informed decisions about planting, scaling operations, and exploring new market
opportunities; provide other decision-makers with key analysis of production,
production opportunities, trends, and growth; and support the strategic growth
and development of Hawaii's agricultural sector by enhancing the statistics
program's data collection, analysis, and reporting capabilities.
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This Act
will fill gaps in the department of agriculture's role to gather, compile, and
tabulate agricultural statistics and will help fulfill its obligation under the
cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture,
ensuring robust data collection and reporting across the State.
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The enhanced program will expand data
collection on select commodities, analyze trends, and identify growth
opportunities between and within the Hawaiian islands.
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These improvements will help producers make
better informed decisions on planting, operations, and market expansion, while
adapting to changing conditions.
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State
and county policymakers can further use the data to better allocate public
resources to support agriculture and the public.
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These
efforts align with the "Go B.I.G. for Agriculture" initiative to
boost local product availability and expand market capacity, driving broader
economic impact.
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By providing actionable
means, this Act will help producers optimize their strategies, reduce costs,
and expand market reach, contributing to economic stability for agricultural
businesses and the broader Hawaii community.
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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to revitalize and enhance the department of
agriculture's agricultural statistics program and drive forward a key
initiative under the department's "Go B.I.G. for Agriculture"
initiative to buy local products, invest in agriculture's development, and grow
agriculture's scale, ultimately advancing the State's broader goals for
sustainable and economically viable agriculture grounded in the cultural
heritage of Hawaii.
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SECTION
2.
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Chapter 148, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:
"
Part .
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agricultural statistics
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148-
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Agricultural statistics program.
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The department shall:
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(1)
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Collect data, analyze, and report on the
movement of fresh fruit and vegetable products, both between and within the
Hawaiian islands;
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(2)
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Develop and maintain electronic systems for
capturing and analyzing data on the intra- and inter-island movement of fresh
fruit and vegetable products; and
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(3)
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Establish a structured rotation schedule for
sector-specific surveys to collect data on agricultural activities, including:
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(A)
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Agricultural theft;
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(B)
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Agricultural tourism;
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(C)
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Aquaculture;
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(D)
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Crop and livestock losses;
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(E)
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Farm technology;
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(F)
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Horticulture and nursery;
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(G)
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Livestock numbers and productivity;
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(H)
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Producer expansion;
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(I)
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Seed;
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(J)
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Tropical fruits;
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(K)
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Vegetable and melons; and
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(L)
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Other surveys, as determined by the department
of agriculture.
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148-
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Exemption.
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(a)
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Data and information received by the department for the purposes of this
part shall be exempt from public disclosure under chapter 92F.
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(b)
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All data collected, compiled, and stored in
the agricultural statistics program shall be confidential and protected from
discovery, production, and disclosure, unless the information has been
transformed into a statistical or aggregate form that does not allow the
identification of the person who supplied particular information.
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Unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution
of data shall be strictly prohibited.
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(c)
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The State shall not be liable for any
dissemination of information collected, compiled, or stored for use in the
agricultural statistics program.
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148-
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Collaboration.
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(a)
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The
department may collaborate with national and local entities, including the
United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics
Service and Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics, university of Hawaii college of tropical agriculture and human resilience,
university of Hawaii economic research organization, and other agencies as
needed, to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting efforts.
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(b)
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The department of agriculture may establish
partnerships with local producers, transportation companies, aggregators, and
distributors to facilitate the electronic capture of and access to other data
sets."
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SECTION
3.
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There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $880,000 or so much thereof
as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 to carry out the purposes
of this Act; provided that the appropriated funds shall be allocated as
follows:
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(1)
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$170,000 for the establishment of two
full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) agricultural economist positions;
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(2)
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$280,000 for the establishment of four
full-time equivalent (4.0 FTE) research statistician positions;
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(3)
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$130,000 for the establishment of secured
office space, equipment, the development of electronic data collection systems,
and program expenses for the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and
Oahu; and
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(4)
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$300,000 for contracted specialty surveys to
be conducted by third-party entities focusing on critical agricultural data
needs.
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The sums
appropriated shall be expended by the department
of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.
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SECTION 4.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
Agricultural
Statistics; Data; Department of Agriculture; Appropriation
Description:
Requires
the Department of Agriculture to revitalize and enhance the agricultural
statistics program to collect data on local agricultural interests.
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Appropriates funds.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.