Bill > HB2459

This bill aims to strengthen the Food and Product Innovation Network, an entity established to boost value-added manufacturing, exports, and food security, by refining its governance, accountability, and integration with existing systems. Specifically, it mandates that the network incorporate a coordinated food safety and regulatory framework, ensuring alignment with federal and state laws, providing technical assistance for compliance, and integrating regulatory education into workforce development. The Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC), which oversees the network, will be required to establish key performance indicators to measure its success, such as the number of businesses served, increases in manufacturing output, export growth, and contributions to food security, and these indicators will inform annual reports to the Legislature. Furthermore, the ADC will develop a strategy to improve market access for food and value-added products by collaborating with various state agencies and private entities involved in transportation and logistics, and it will also align and harmonize state branding initiatives like "Hawaii made" and "Hawaii grown" to reduce duplication and strengthen brand clarity for producers and manufacturers. The bill also includes provisions for collecting and sharing economic data, particularly on indigenous and Native Hawaiian businesses, with the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for analysis and reporting, and appropriates funds for the network's operations.