A bill that would grow a farming program at Kulani prison is headed for a vote in the state House.
House Bill 478 funds a full-time agriculture management position at the Kulani and Waiawa correctional facilities and the purchase of farming supplies.
Rep. Richard Onishi, who introduced the legislation, said the program would provide more nutritional food for inmates and teach them skills that they could use once released.
Kulani inmates already grow some food, under the guidance of a staff person from Hawaii Community College, but Onishi wants to see that expanded.
“It’s limited,” he said. “It’s just the amount of time that person from HCC goes up there to do the teaching.”
The bill cleared the House committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs and Finance.
It was amended to leave the cost amounts blank, but the Finance Committee recommended $50,000 for each of the new positions and $90,000 for the Kulani agriculture program.
Onishi, a Democrat whose district includes Hilo, Keaau, Kurtistown and Volcano, said a similar bill last year passed both chambers but died on the “chopping block” during conference at the end of the session.
He’s hopeful it won’t suffer the same fate this time.
“I think it’s a very important program,” Onishi said.
“It offers the training for those inmates that are up there and provide them skills to hopefully find them a job in farming and be able to do farming themselves.”
The state Department of Public Safety submitted testimony in strong support of the measure.
An agency spokeswoman said there are eight inmates participating in the existing agriculture program at Kulani with another 10 in a classroom portion, which they are required to go through first. Up to 20 inmates can participate at one time.
The prison population there is about 190, according to the spokeswoman.
Another bill Onishi introduced to hire a farm coordinator for the University of Hawaii at Hilo and provide more funding for the community college’s farming program also is headed for a vote in the House.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
