GMO Watch
Aloha Petition Signers,
The bills were all introduced as of yesterday’s deadline. There are a quite a few new bills from our last update, including 2 really bad ones.
Here is a list of the bills, with short description next to each, mostly introduced in this session, that we are tracking:
HIGH PRIORITY, START A FREE ACCOUNT AT http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov
You can and should look up bills, check their status, and give
online testimony here: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov It is
quick and easy once you start your free acct. You can set up
a “Hearing Notification” list on bills of your own there too.
With the “Testimony” button, you can actually just indicate
“Support” or “Against” a bill, when it has been scheduled for
a hearing, that legislators do review, without having to write
long testimony. Otherwise you can also email directly to the
legislators about bills not presently scheduled for a hearing.
The bills we expect to be especially focused on relative to this petition are:
Hawaii GMO Labeling Bills Tracking:
HB174 RELATING TO LABELING. (2013) – FOR
SB2176 RELATING TO LABELING. (new) – FOR
SB2177 RELATING TO LABELING. (CONST. AMEND.) (new) – FOR
SB2521 RELATING TO LABELING. (new) – FOR
SB2736 RELATING TO FOOD LABELING. (new) – FOR
2 New Bills Added on JAN. 23rd to PREEMPT ALREADY EXISTING COUNTY LAWS ON GMO’s/Pesticides:
HB2506 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. (new) – AGAINST
SB3058 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. (new) – AGAINST
Action Alert #1 – For Everybody in Hawaii
Nomi Kaheaonalani Carmona: ‪
#GMO‬ ‪#SOS‬ ‪#ACTION‬ ‪#ALERT‬ We must act NOW to stop the Hawaii Monsanto Protection Act! Companion bills introduced today show expected attempts to stop the Counties from protecting their citizens life, health, property and preservation through pesticide and genetic engineering regulation! The Constitution states the Counties SHALL protect life and health and if these agricultural practices are affecting our life, health, property and preservation, we have the right to pass bills like 2491 on Kauai for buffer zones and pesticide disclosure, 113 for GMO prohibition on Hawaii island, and the upcoming Maui bill on January 28th! The chemical industry is again using the Hawaii state legislature to attempt to usurp home rule and necessary regulations for each island condition regarding GMOs and pesticides. Abhorrent.
Write and call your legislators TODAY and tell them what you think. This is absolutely unacceptable and these bills must be stopped immediately. ASAP and BE THERE on the 29th at 10:30AM at the latest for the People Not Profits rally.
*Look up your legislators after you read the House and Senate versions and see if your legislator introduced it.
*We suggest emailing your Senator and Representative together if they both were introducers and CC’ing reps@capitol.hawaii.gov and sens@capitol.hawaii.gov or sending a letter to your politicians and sending also letters to the entire House and Senate. Be professional and let them know you are a voter in which district and will not stand for the pre-emption of home rule and the Hawaii Monsanto Protection Acts. Look up if needed at www.capitol.hawaii.gov
*Go down to their offices and/or talk to them or mail them letters.
*Call them.
*Find their FB and twitter accounts and tell everyone in your area to do the same.
*Share this information with everyone you know who loves Hawaii and invite them to help
This is abominable. The counties have the rights to protect themselves and the state regulation is a floor, not a ceiling. Defend home rule, defend Hawaii.
*Non-residents, defend Hawaii and email the reps and sens email addresses above and let them know if you will not spend money traveling to Hawaii if they do not stop these bills and allow the Counties to protect themselves
Can email ‘Against’ these two at: Reps@capitol.hawaii.gov, sens@capitol.hawaii.gov
HB3058 http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=3058
House Introducers: ONISHI, AQUINO, AWANA, BELATTI, BROWER, CABANILLA, CACHOLA, CHOY, CULLEN, EVANS, FALE, HANOHANO, HASHEM, ICHIYAMA, ITO, KOBAYASHI, MIZUNO, MORIKAWA, NAKASHIMA, SAIKI, SAY, SOUKI, TAKAYAMA, TOKIOKA, TSUJI, WOODSON, YAMANE, YAMASHITA, Fukumoto, Johanson, Luke, Matsumoto, McDermott, Ohno, Takumi, Ward
SB2506 http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2506
Senate Introducers: NISHIHARA, BAKER, KIDANI, SOLOMON, WAKAI, Dela Cruz, Espero, Galuteria, Hee, Slom
Can look up email of individual Legislators here: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=all
Action Alert #2 – For people on Oahu or able to travel there
Action Alert #3 – For Everybody in Hawaii
There are some other bills on our list that are already having hearings. Would help to have people tap the blue “Testimony” button in “Support” of these 3, ASAP:
SB2037
Farming Technique Mentor Program; Agriculture; Appropriation
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
Establishes the farming technique mentor program within the DOA; Appropriates funds. (S ) 1/23/2014 – The committee(s) on AGL deferred the measure until 01-30-14 2:45PM in conference room 229.
SB2110
Pesticides; Regulation; Appropriation
RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF PESTICIDES.
Appropriates funds for pesticide regulation. (S ) 1/23/2014 – The committee(s) on AGL deferred the measure until 01-30-14 2:45PM in conference room 229.
HB1611
Pesticides; Regulation; Appropriation
RELATING TO THE REGULATION OF PESTICIDES.
Appropriates funds for pesticide regulation. (H ) 1/24/2014 – Bill scheduled to be heard by AGR on Monday, 01-27-14 9:30AM in House conference room 312.
Also,
Unmani on Maui wants us to make sure people are aware of these 2 bills, a better replacement crop for GMO:
SB2175
Industrial Hemp; Agriculture
RELATING TO INDUSTRIAL HEMP.
Authorizes the growing of industrial hemp for certain purposes under specified conditions. (S ) 1/17/2014 – Referred to AGL/PSM, CPN/JDL.
HB2358
Industrial Hemp; Agriculture
RELATING TO INDUSTRIAL HEMP.
Authorizes the growing of industrial hemp for certain purposes under specified conditions. (H ) 1/23/2014 – Introduced and Pass First Reading.
We may try to enlist Unmani and others to do some of these updates in a timely manner, as we need all of your help in this.
News Items
Two good items related to GMO Labeling:
1.) Legal Experts Reject Food Industry Claims that #GMO Labeling Laws Are Unconstitutional
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_29137.cfm #Hawaii #HILege 
2.) WTFographics: #GMO Labeling: http://youtu.be/FyWMuA8HcJk via @youtube #Hawaii #HILege
We’ll let you know, Aloha,
Brad
Share our open petition / updates list: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/gmo-labeling-in-hawaii?mailing_id=18802&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=3488703
