A bill seeking to do away with mandatory inspection and certification of Hawaii-grown coffee will pass into law after Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s announcement Tuesday that he had opted not to veto the measure.
A bill seeking to do away with mandatory inspection and certification of Hawaii-grown coffee will pass into law after Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s announcement Tuesday that he had opted not to veto the measure.
Meanwhile, funding targeting the coffee berry borer will have to come from an alternative source after the governor chose to veto a bill that would have provided monies from the state agriculture department’s revolving loan fund.
Opting neither to veto nor to sign House Bill 280, Abercrombie nonetheless ensured that the measure would pass into law, creating a Class C felony for false labeling of coffee, and simultaneously discarding the requirement that all Hawaii-grown coffee beans be inspected and certified by the agriculture department.
“This bill marks the beginning for the Department of Agriculture to work with stakeholders and develop the framework for what is necessary to protect our state products,” reads a Tuesday release from the Governor’s Office.
HB 280 will be joined by five other bills that will pass into law without the governor’s signature.
Meanwhile, Abercrombie killed House Bill 283, which aimed to appropriate $196,000 from the agricultural loan revolving fund to a program to control and eradicate the coffee berry borer.
“Rather than use funds meant to help farmers who have trouble obtaining financing, the Department of Agriculture plans to use $200,000 of barrel tax funds in its commitment to eradicate the coffee berry borer and in order to meet the intent of this bill,” the release stated.
HB 283 was one of 14 vetoes the governor handed out Tuesday.