Lawmakers press agencies on how procurement preferences would favor farmworker housing

Committee members on Wednesday pressed administration witnesses for operational detail on SB3233 SD1 HD1, a bill that would give procurement and lease-award preference to agricultural projects that include farmworker housing.

Leo Asuncion of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development said the office stands on written testimony in support and called the bill ‘‘something that is needed.’’ Members asked how the point system would work in procurement — for example, whether agencies procuring food from local farms would grant extra points to vendors that provide workforce housing.

Department of Agriculture and ADC witnesses said the mechanism is not yet defined and that the bill appears primarily intended to incentivize large-scale subdivision-style agricultural projects (for example, a 100–150 acre ag park) rather than single-lot leases. ADC said its past Royal Kunia Agricultural Park planning included 24 lots and associated housing on paper but that funding has not yet been secured to construct the projects.

Witnesses acknowledged a concern raised in Farm Bureau testimony that small-scale farmers (two to ten acres) without associated housing could be disadvantaged in procurement competitions if extra points favor larger projects that include housing. ADC and Department of Agriculture officials recommended carving out day-to-day single-lease issuances from the preference or otherwise coordinating across agencies to ensure consistent application so small farmers are not unfairly squeezed out.

The committee recommended the bill pass with amendments and recorded reservations from several members who sought clarifying language on definitions and scoring.