Category: Legislative Snippets

January 29, 2021 Agribusiness Development Corporation, General Ag News and Notes, Legislative Snippets Post a Comment

Hawaii State Legislature HB827 – Measure Title: RELATING TO AGRICULTURE

Measure Status – HB827
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 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. –
Companion: SB335
Package: None
Current Referral: AGR, FIN
Introducer(s): HASHEM, BRANCO, DECOITE, HASHIMOTO, ICHIYAMA, KAPELA, LOWEN, MCKELVEY, MIZUNO, MORIKAWA, NAKASHIMA, ONISHI, PERRUSO, TARNAS

Sort by Date Status Text
1/25/2021 H Pending introduction.
1/27/2021 H Introduced and Pass First Reading.
1/29/2021 H Referred to AGR, FIN, referral sheet 2

S = Senate | H = House | D = Data Systems | $ = Appropriation measure | ConAm = Constitutional Amendment

January 14, 2021 General Ag News and Notes, Hawaii Maritime Shipping, Jones Act, Legislative Snippets Post a Comment

Rep. Ed Case’s bills take aim at reforming Jones Act

Star-Advertiser –

U.S. Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii said today he has reintroduced three bills in Congress to reform the Jones Act, which many critics say is responsible for artificially inflating the cost of shipping goods to the state.

“These three bills are meant to end a century of monopolistic closed market domestic cargo shipping to and from my isolated home state of Hawai‘i as well as the other island and separated jurisdictions of our country that lie outside the continental United States,” Case said. “The bills aim directly at one of the key drivers of our astronomically high cost of living in Hawai‘i and other similarly located jurisdictions.”

Case said because the Jones Act severely limits the supply of shipping to and from Hawaii’s communities, it has allowed a few companies to control the state’s lifeline to the outside world and, as a result, “command shipping rates way higher than the rest of the world.”

The 1920 Jones Act requires all cargo moved between two U.S. ports to be carried by vessels that are built in the country, owned by a U.S. entity and manned by an American crew.

December 5, 2020 General Ag News and Notes, Legislative Snippets Post a Comment

Kahele: Neighbor Islands won’t get overlooked

Maui News –
Kehaulani Cerizo –

New rep-elect heads to Congress for freshman term –

After traveling thousands of miles from his native Hilo, Kai Kahele is immersed in the Washington, D.C., bustle, making preparations for his freshman term as U.S. representative.

Office selections. Loads of paperwork. Hours of training.

All the while at the nation’s capital, Kahele is seeking to maintain a pulse on Hawaii’s needs. He assured smaller Neighbor Island communities that once he’s in Congress in January, they won’t get lost in the fray.

“I understand the challenges of living on the Neighbor Island — every aspect of it — from education to health care to kupuna care to social services,” Kahele told the The Maui News in a phone interview on Wednesday. “And as a result, I can be that very important voice for the delegation and what the delegation needs.”

Kahele, who’s spent most of his life on the Big Island, discussed ways he’d like to get COVID-19 relief funds directly to county municipalities so they don’t have to ask Gov. David Ige for a “piece of the pie.” He touched on the balance of reopening tourism and public safety and also detailed goals for Maui County, such as building a long-awaited veterans center and funneling money toward agriculture.

With the CARES Act expiring soon, state leaders have been mulling ways to secure additional COVID-19 relief money as Maui County buckles under some of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

Kahele pointed out that the U.S. House passed a Heroes Act, a second stimulus funding piece for the country. The bill would provide nearly a half billion dollars for direct payment stimulus checks for those who qualify, additional money for the unemployed, more Paycheck Protection Program funding for small businesses and an infusion of rent relief funding.

“The money would go from the federal government direct to Mayor Victorino and the County of Maui to be dispersed rather than having to go to the state government, Governor Ige, who would then decide,” Kahele said.

However, the proposal is sitting in the U.S. Senate, without debate or a floor vote, he said, adding that he will be pushing for these funds.

When it comes to the tension between reopening and public safety, Kahele said it’s a “delicate balance” that involves “tough decisions.”

Neighbor Islands have been reeling over the lack of tourism dollars, more so than Oahu, which is also bolstered by government and military sectors.

Kahele said there is no perfect plan, and at some point a certain level of risk must be accepted when reopening the counties and the economy.

“Difficult decisions have to be made because tourism is such a big part of our economy,” he said. “I mean, we are not going to diversify our economy away from tourism overnight. It’s going to take a significant amount of time, a significant amount of resources. It’s going to take years to do that.”

To mitigate reopening risks, testing, adequate medical facilities, opportunities for people to quarantine and a thorough contract tracing program are needed, he said.

First and foremost, it’s the responsibility of leaders to protect their people and prioritize residents’ health, safety and welfare, Kahele added. Because the economy is so reliant on tourism, tough choices need to be made to reopen safely, he said.

Beyond COVID-19, Kahele outlined goals for Maui County. He said breaking ground on a veterans center for Maui is among his top priorities. The center has been in the works for over a decade, and a Central Maui site has been selected, but the project continues to stall.

“After years of talk and all these great headlines, we still don’t have a building and a facility,” he said.

With almost 10,000 veterans throughout the state, Maui County veterans, including those on Lanai and Molokai, need a place to get adequate health care, he said.

“That’s something our country owes our veterans who have given a very large part of their lives, and the lives of their families, their spouses and their children,” said Kahele, who’s also a service member. “That’s an obligation our country has to our veterans.”

Kahele said he’s currently getting briefed on the project and what’s needed to get it “shovel ready.” He hopes to get it done during his first term.

Also, Kahele said Maui and Hawaii islands produce 98 percent of the state’s agriculture and that he’s looking forward to serving on a committee on agriculture. He said Maui’s under-utilized lands can be cultivated for ag, and he aims to procure funds to support local farmers, subsidize startup operations and invest in water delivery systems.

The young leader has plenty of work ahead, especially during one of the most politically divided times in recent history. Kahele, a 46-year-old Democrat, said he will work to build bridges, something 21 years in the military has instilled in him.

“I’ve served side-by-side with active duty and Guard and reserve, military members who may have disagreed on many different things, philosophically and morally, but we knew how to get the job done, and we were able to put the mission first and to do that,” he said. “And that’s what I think we need here in Washington, D.C., is individuals that are servant leaders, are here for the right reasons and are here to get things done rather than fight and, you know, get separated into our different tribes.”

Kahele, a Hawaiian Airlines pilot and member of the Hawaii Air National Guard, entered politics in 2016. Ige appointed him to the Hawaii State Senate to finish the term of his father, Gil Kahele, who died unexpectedly after a heart attack.

In January 2019, Kahele announced his bid for Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District, representing all rural and most suburban areas of Oahu/Honolulu County, along with Kauai, Maui, Kalawao and Hawaii counties.

He won handily to succeed U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who ran unsuccessfully for president and said in October 2019 that she would not seek re-election.

Once he takes office, Kahele will be the second Native Hawaiian to serve in Congress since statehood. U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, who died in 2016, was the first.

“I’m also looking forward to being the second Native Hawaiian since statehood to represent Hawaii,” he said. “I feel like I can be a voice for Native Hawaiians in the United States Congress.”

November 14, 2006 Legislative Snippets

Hawaii Agriculture Employee Definitons

?387-1 Definitions. As used in this chapter:

?Agriculture? means agriculture as defined in section 3(f) of the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, or as the same may be amended from time to time.

?Department? means the department of labor and industrial relations.

?Director? means the director of labor and industrial relations.

?Employ? includes to permit or suffer to work.

?Employee? includes any individual employed by an employer, but shall not include any individual employed:

(1) At a guaranteed compensation totaling $2,000 or more a month, whether paid weekly, biweekly, or monthly;

(2) In agriculture for any workweek in which the employer of the individual employs less than twenty employees or in agriculture for any workweek in which the individual is engaged in coffee harvesting;

Electronic File Date: 11/14/2006

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol07_Ch0346-0398/HRS0387/HRS_0387-0001.htm

November 14, 2006 Legislative Snippets

Hawaii-grown roasted or instant coffee; labeling requirements

?486-120.6 Hawaii-grown roasted or instant coffee; labeling requirements.
Electronic File Date: 11/14/2006
(a) In addition to all other labeling requirements, the identity statement used for labeling or advertising roasted or instant coffee produced in whole or in part from Hawaii-grown green coffee beans shall meet the following requirements:

(1) For roasted or instant coffee that contains one hundred per cent Hawaii-grown coffee by weight the identity statement shall consist of either:

(A) The geographic origin of the Hawaii-grown coffee, in coffee consisting of beans from only one geographic origin, followed by the word ?Coffee?; provided that the geographic origin may be immediately preceded by the term ?100%?; or

(B) The per cent coffee by weight of one of the Hawaii-grown coffees, used in coffee consisting of beans from several geographic origins, followed by the geographic origin of the weight-specified coffee and the terms ?Coffee? and ?All Hawaiian?;

(2) For roasted or instant coffee consisting of a blend of one or more Hawaii-grown coffees and coffee not grown in Hawaii, the per cent coffee by weight of one of the Hawaii-grown coffees used in the blend, followed by the geographic origin of the weight-specified coffee and the term ?Coffee Blend?; and

(3) Each word or character in the identity statement shall be of the same type size and shall be contiguous. The smallest letter or character of the identity statement on packages of sixteen ounces or less net weight shall be at least one and one-half times the type size required under federal law for the statement of net weight or three-sixteenths of an inch in height, whichever is smaller. The smallest letter or character of the identity statement on packages of greater than sixteen ounces net weight shall be at least one and one-half times the type size required under federal law for the statement of net weight. The identity statement shall be conspicuously displayed without any intervening material in a position above the statement of net weight. Upper and lower case letters may be used interchangeably in the identity statement.

(b) A listing of the geographic origins of the various Hawaii-grown coffees and the regional origins of the various coffees not grown in Hawaii that are included in a blend may be shown on the label. If used, this list shall consist of the term ?Contains:?, followed by, in descending order of per cent by weight and separated by commas, the respective geographic origin or regional origin of the various coffees in the blend that the manufacturer chooses to list. Each geographic origin or regional origin may be preceded by the per cent of coffee by weight represented by that geographic origin or regional origin, expressed as a number followed by the per cent sign. The type size used for this list shall not exceed half that of the identity statement. This list shall appear below the identity statement, if included on the front panel of the label.

(c) It shall be a violation of this section:

(1) To use the identity statement specified in subsection (a)(1)(A) or similar terms in labeling or advertising unless the package of roasted or instant coffee contains one hundred per cent coffee from that one geographic origin;

(2) To use a geographic origin in labeling or advertising, including in conjunction with a coffee style or in any other manner, if the roasted or instant coffee contains less than ten per cent coffee by weight from that geographic origin;

(3) To use a geographic origin in advertising roasted or instant coffee, including advertising in conjunction with a coffee style or in any other manner, without disclosing the percentage of coffee used from that geographic origin as described in subsection (a)(1)(B) and [(a)](2);

(4) To use a geographic origin in labeling or advertising roasted or instant coffee, including in conjunction with a coffee style or in any other manner, if the green coffee beans used in that roasted or instant coffee do not meet the grade standard requirements of rules adopted under chapter 147;

(5) To misrepresent, on a label or in advertising of a roasted or instant coffee, the per cent coffee by weight of any coffee from a geographic origin or regional origin; or

(6) To use the term ?All Hawaiian? on a label or in advertising of a roasted or instant coffee if the roasted or instant coffee is not produced entirely from green coffee beans produced in geographic origins defined in this chapter.

(d) Roasters, manufacturers, or other persons who package roasted or instant coffee covered by this section shall maintain, for a period of two years, records on the volume and geographic origin or regional origin of coffees purchased and sold and any other records required by the department for the purpose of enforcing this section. Authorized employees of the department shall have access to these records during normal business hours.

(e) For the purpose of this section:

?Geographic origin? means the geographic regions in which Hawaii-grown green coffee beans are produced, as defined in rules adopted under chapter 147; provided that the term ?Hawaiian? may be substituted for the geographic origin ?Hawaii?.

?Per cent coffee by weight? means the percentage calculated by dividing the weight in pounds of roasted green coffee beans of one geographic or regional origin used in a production run of roasted or instant coffee, by the total weight in pounds of the roasted green coffee beans used in that production run of roasted or instant coffee, and multiplying the quotient by one hundred. [L 1991, c 289, ?2; am L 1995, c 103, ?1; am L 2002, c 258, ?1]

?486-121 Misrepresentation of quantity. No person shall:

(1) Sell, offer, or expose for sale less than the quantity -represented;

(2) Take any more than the quantity represented when the buyer furnishes the weight or measure by means of which the quantity is determined; or

(3) Represent the quantity in any manner calculated to mislead or in any way deceive another person. [L 1991, c 153, pt of ?6; am L 1993, c 54, ?12]

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol11_Ch0476-0490/HRS0486/HRS_0486-0120_0006.htm

April 4, 2004 Legislative Snippets

Ethanol facility tax credit.

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol04_Ch0201-0257/
HRS0235/HRS_0235-0110_0003.htm

?235-110.3 Ethanol facility tax credit. (a) Each year during the credit period, there shall be allowed to each taxpayer subject to the taxes imposed by this chapter, an ethanol facility tax credit that shall be applied to the taxpayer’s net income tax liability, if any, imposed by this chapter for the taxable year in which the credit is properly claimed.

For each qualified ethanol production facility, the annual dollar amount of the ethanol facility tax credit during the eight-year period shall be equal to thirty per cent of its nameplate capacity if the nameplate capacity is greater than five hundred thousand but less than fifteen million gallons. A taxpayer may claim this credit for each qualifying ethanol facility; provided that:

(1) The claim for this credit by any taxpayer of a qualifying ethanol production facility shall not exceed one hundred per cent of the total of all investments made by the taxpayer in the qualifying ethanol production facility during the credit period;

(2) The qualifying ethanol production facility operated at a level of production of at least seventy-five per cent of its nameplate capacity on an annualized basis;

(3) The qualifying ethanol production facility is in production on or before January 1, 2012; and

(4) No taxpayer that claims the credit under this section shall claim any other tax credit under this chapter for the same taxable year.

(b) As used in this section:

“Credit period” means a maximum period of eight years beginning from the first taxable year in which the qualifying ethanol production facility begins production even if actual production is not at seventy-five per cent of nameplate capacity.

“Investment” means a nonrefundable capital expenditure related to the development and construction of any qualifying ethanol production facility, including processing equipment, waste treatment systems, pipelines, and liquid storage tanks at the facility or remote locations, including expansions or modifications. Capital expenditures shall be those direct and certain indirect costs determined in accordance with section 263A of the Internal Revenue Code, relating to uniform capitalization costs, but shall not include expenses for compensation paid to officers of the taxpayer, pension and other related costs, rent for land, the costs of repairing and maintaining the equipment or facilities, training of operating personnel, utility costs during construction, property taxes, costs relating to negotiation of commercial agreements not related to development or construction, or service costs that can be identified specifically with a service department or function or that directly benefit or are incurred by reason of a service department or function. For the purposes of determining a capital expenditure under this section, the provisions of section 263A of the Internal Revenue Code shall apply as it read on March 1, 2004. For purposes of this section, investment excludes land costs and includes any investment for which the taxpayer is at risk, as that term is used in section 465 of the Internal Revenue Code (with respect to deductions limited to amount at risk).

“Nameplate capacity” means the qualifying ethanol production facility’s production design capacity, in gallons of motor fuel grade ethanol per year.

“Net income tax liability” means net income tax liability reduced by all other credits allowed under this chapter.

“Qualifying ethanol production” means ethanol produced from renewable, organic feedstocks, or waste materials, including municipal solid waste. All qualifying production shall be fermented, distilled, gasified, or produced by physical chemical conversion methods such as reformation and catalytic conversion and dehydrated at the facility.

“Qualifying ethanol production facility” or “facility” means a facility located in Hawaii which produces motor fuel grade ethanol meeting the minimum specifications by the American Society of Testing and Materials standard D-4806, as amended.

(c) In the case of a taxable year in which the cumulative claims for the credit by the taxpayer of a qualifying ethanol production facility exceeds the cumulative investment made in the qualifying ethanol production facility by the taxpayer, only that portion that does not exceed the cumulative investment shall be claimed and allowed.

(d) The department of business, economic development, and tourism shall:

(1) Maintain records of the total amount of investment made by each taxpayer in a facility;

(2) Verify the amount of the qualifying investment;

(3) Total all qualifying and cumulative investments that the department of business, economic development, and tourism certifies; and

(4) Certify the total amount of the tax credit for each taxable year and the cumulative amount of the tax credit during the credit period.

Upon each determination, the department of business, economic development, and tourism shall issue a certificate to the taxpayer verifying the qualifying investment amounts, the credit amount certified for each taxable year, and the cumulative amount of the tax credit during the credit period. The taxpayer shall file the certificate with the taxpayer’s tax return with the department of taxation. Notwithstanding the department of business, economic development, and tourism’s certification authority under this section, the director of taxation may audit and adjust certification to conform to the facts.

If in any year, the annual amount of certified credits reaches $12,000,000 in the aggregate, the department of business, economic development, and tourism shall immediately discontinue certifying credits and notify the department of taxation. In no instance shall the total amount of certified credits exceed $12,000,000 per year. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, this information shall be available for public inspection and dissemination under chapter 92F.

(e) If the credit under this section exceeds the taxpayer’s income tax liability, the excess of credit over liability shall be refunded to the taxpayer; provided that no refunds or payments on account of the tax credit allowed by this section shall be made for amounts less than $1. All claims for a credit under this section must be properly filed on or before the end of the twelfth month following the close of the taxable year for which the credit may be claimed. Failure to comply with the foregoing provision shall constitute a waiver of the right to claim the credit.

(f) If a qualifying ethanol production facility or an interest therein is acquired by a taxpayer prior to the expiration of the credit period, the credit allowable under subsection (a) for any period after such acquisition shall be equal to the credit that would have been allowable under subsection (a) to the prior taxpayer had the taxpayer not disposed of the interest. If an interest is disposed of during any year for which the credit is allowable under subsection (a), the credit shall be allowable between the parties on the basis of the number of days during the year the interest was held by each taxpayer. In no case shall the credit allowed under subsection (a) be allowed after the expiration of the credit period.

(g) Once the total nameplate capacities of qualifying ethanol production facilities built within the State reaches or exceeds a level of forty million gallons per year, credits under this section shall not be allowed for new ethanol production facilities. If a new facility’s production capacity would cause the statewide ethanol production capacity to exceed forty million gallons per year, only the ethanol production capacity that does not exceed the statewide forty million gallon per year level shall be eligible for the credit.

(h) Prior to construction of any new qualifying ethanol production facility, the taxpayer shall provide written notice of the taxpayer’s intention to begin construction of a qualifying ethanol production facility. The information shall be provided to the department of taxation and the department of business, economic development, and tourism on forms provided by the department of business, economic development, and tourism, and shall include information on the taxpayer, facility location, facility production capacity, anticipated production start date, and the taxpayer’s contact information. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, this information shall be available for public inspection and dissemination under chapter 92F.

(i) The taxpayer shall provide written notice to the director of taxation and the director of business, economic development, and tourism within thirty days following the start of production. The notice shall include the production start date and expected ethanol fuel production for the next twenty-four months. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, this information shall be available for public inspection and dissemination under chapter 92F.

(j) If a qualifying ethanol production facility fails to achieve an average annual production of at least seventy-five per cent of its nameplate capacity for two consecutive years, the stated capacity of that facility may be revised by the director of business, economic development, and tourism to reflect actual production for the purposes of determining statewide production capacity under subsection (g) and allowable credits for that facility under subsection (a). Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, this information shall be available for public inspection and dissemination under chapter 92F.

(k) Each calendar year during the credit period, the taxpayer shall provide information to the director of business, economic development, and tourism on the number of gallons of ethanol produced and sold during the previous calendar year, how much was sold in Hawaii versus overseas, feedstocks used for ethanol production, the number of employees of the facility, and the projected number of gallons of ethanol production for the succeeding year.

(l) In the case of a partnership, S corporation, estate, or trust, the tax credit allowable is for every qualifying ethanol production facility. The cost upon which the tax credit is computed shall be determined at the entity level. Distribution and share of credit shall be determined pursuant to section 235-110.7(a).

(m) Following each year in which a credit under this section has been claimed, the director of business, economic development, and tourism shall submit a written report to the governor and legislature regarding the production and sale of ethanol. The report shall include:

(1) The number, location, and nameplate capacities of qualifying ethanol production facilities in the State;

(2) The total number of gallons of ethanol produced and sold during the previous year; and

(3) The projected number of gallons of ethanol production for the succeeding year.

(n) The director of taxation shall prepare forms that may be necessary to claim a credit under this section. Notwithstanding the department of business, economic development, and tourism’s certification authority under this section, the director may audit and adjust certification to conform to the facts. The director may also require the taxpayer to furnish information to ascertain the validity of the claim for credit made under this section and may adopt rules necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section pursuant to chapter 91. [L 2000, c 289, ?2; am L 2004, c 140, ?2]

Note
The 2004 amendment applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2003. L 2004, c 140, ?4.