Urging The Department Of Agriculture To Collaborate With The Agribusiness Development Corporation Regarding Grant Funding Opportunities With The United States Department Of Agriculture.
Summary
SCR141 is a Senate Concurrent Resolution urging the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to work with the Agribusiness Development Corporation to identify and pursue grant funding opportunities from the United States Department of Agriculture. The resolution frames this collaboration as a way to strengthen Hawaii’s agricultural sector by increasing support for local farmers, ranchers, aquaculture groups, and other agricultural entities.
The measure ties the request to broader state policy goals, including the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan and the Aloha+ Challenge objective of increasing local food production for local consumption by 2030. It emphasizes that expanding agricultural production may require more land, labor, infrastructure, and financial support, and it points to USDA grant programs as a potential source of assistance for those needs.
Impact
Because SCR141 is a concurrent resolution rather than a bill, it does not directly amend Hawaii statutes or create enforceable legal requirements. Its practical effect is to express legislative support for interagency coordination between the Department of Agriculture and the Agribusiness Development Corporation and to encourage those agencies to seek federal grant opportunities that could benefit local agricultural producers and related organizations.
Sentiment
The available voting history indicates clear support for the resolution, with both the Senate Agriculture and Environment Committee and the Senate Economic Development and Technology Committee passing it unanimously, 5-0, and both with amendments. No committee transcript is provided, but the unanimous votes suggest the measure was viewed favorably as a low-conflict, pro-agriculture initiative aligned with state sustainability and food-security goals.
Contention
There is little visible opposition in the available record. The only notable procedural point is that both committees passed the resolution with amendments, which suggests members may have sought to refine the wording or scope of the encouragement to the agencies. The resolution’s focus on collaboration, grant-seeking, and agricultural development appears broadly noncontroversial, with no recorded dissent or substantive policy dispute in the provided materials.
Same As
Urging The Department Of Agriculture To Collaborate With The Agribusiness Development Corporation Regarding Grant Funding Opportunities With The United States Department Of Agriculture.