House Bill 154 passes, ready for Senate in Hawaii

An industrial hemp field in France.

HONOLULU, HI — A bill that would establish a two-year hemp pilot program in Hawaii will advanced to the floor of the Senate for a vote after passing two separate committees Thursday. The bill passed unanimously on the floor of the House earlier this month.

If passed, House Bill 154 HD2 would allow the Board of Agriculture to establish a two year industrial hemp research and biofuel crop pilot program.
A primary focus of the proposed research would be phytoremediation, a process by which the hemp plant draws toxins out of the soil and processes them safely through its roots, stalk, branches, and leaves.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture recommended the bill pass by a 7-0 vote Thursday, shortly before the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment recommended the bill’s passage 5-0.
The bill now advances to the floor of the Senate for a vote, but a vote has not yet been scheduled on the bill.
House lawmakers passed an amended version of the original bill, which expands the research to include hemp’s value as an alternative biofuel for Hawaii.
“People now understand how industrial hemp can benefit Hawaii,” said State Representative Cynthia Thielen (R-Kaneohe Bay), who cosponsored HB154. “The hemp plant itself uses phytoremediation to cleanse the soil of pesticides, heavy metals, oil, and other toxins.”
“Adding industrial hemp as a source of biofuel is another avenue worth pursuing,” Thielen said. “Reducing our dependence on foreign oil through the use of a renewable resource would be very good for Hawaii.”
The bill was introduced by Thielen, Speaker Joseph Souki, Representative Derek Kawakami, Representative Sylvia Luke, and Representative Angus McKelvey in January.
Cultivation of industrial hemp is currently prohibited by the federal government, but legislation has been introduced in Congress to allow the commercial production of hemp in the United States, the only industrialized nation in the world to prohibit the cultivation of hemp.
Hemp products can legally be sold in the United States, but the hemp must be imported from other countries.

Hemp bill passes house in Hawaii while Kentucky house dithers

In Kentucky, the Democrats are making delays for more discussion of the hemp bill, which is a slight disappointment - and irony, leaving the GOP in that state to carry the issue, which most assume is a left wing thing. However, in Hawaii the state legilatures have decided to go forward with hemp and give that island another source of revenue. This just in from the Hawaii Reporter:

Hemp Bill Clears Hurdle in the Hawaii House

Rep. Cynthia Thielen stands before a hemp crop in France

REPORT FROM THE HOUSE MINORITY – The House Finance Committee unanimously passed HB154 HD2, to establish an industrial hemp research pilot program, on Monday, February 25, 2013. A primary focus of the research is phytoremediation, the process by which the hemp plant draws toxins out of the soil and processes them safely through its roots, stalk, branches, and leaves, leaving the soil refreshed and ready for the next crop.
Lawmakers are working to expand the scope of the research to include the viability of industrial hemp as a biofuel feedstock, an application that has shown promise elsewhere.
HB154 now goes to the floor of the House for a third reading, after which it goes to the Senate.
"This is great news for Hawaii's agricultural industry," said State Representative Cynthia Thielen (R, 50th District: Kailua, Kaneohe Bay), who cosponsored HB154. "Phytoremediation is how the hemp plant actually cleans pesticides, oil, and other toxins from the soil it's growing in. They planted hemp to clean the soil at Chernobyl -- surely our overstressed agricultural lands could benefit from it, too."
"The bill's passage through three House committees also is a good sign that people are recognizing that hemp is a really useful plant," Thielen added. "Not just for phytoremediation, but in making clothing, termite-proof building materials, food products, and biofuel. Hawaii is poised to really take advantage of hemp cultivation, the way that Canada, China, Japan, and several European countries already do."
HB154 was introduced by Thielen, Speaker Joseph Souki, Representative Derek Kawakami, Representative Sylvia Luke, and Representative Angus McKelvey.
HB154's companion legislation, HCR3 and HR6, which call on Congress and the President to remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, passed the Hawaii House of Representatives earlier in February.