HI HB275

Establishes a grant program in the Department of Agriculture to assist taro farmers in meeting the costs of cultivating taro for consumption.

Specifies that individual grant amounts have a cap (amount not specified in bill text), grants cannot cover costs incurred more than 5 years prior to application, and grantees must have already spent their own money on taro cultivation.

Requires grantees to comply with all applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws, indemnify the State of Hawaii, and maintain records available for departmental review.

Appropriates unspecified amounts from general revenues for fiscal years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 to fund the grant program.

Cites Hawaii's food security concerns, the importance of taro as a staple starch for Native Hawaiians, and prior recommendations from the 2010 Taro Security and Purity Task Force as justification for the program.