Sen. Mazie K. Hirono has included her Macadamia Tree Health Initiative—legislation that prioritizes research into combating the macadamia felted coccid, an invasive pest threatening Hawai‘i’s macadamia nut industry—in the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Report. The bipartisan Farm Bill, which sets policy and funding levels for agriculture and nutrition programs through 2023, was approved in the Senate by a 87-13 vote. The House of Representatives must now vote on the bill in order to send it to the President for his signature.

“Today’s vote brings much needed federal resources to combat the macadamia felted coccid, which has been ravaging our $46 million macadamia industry for over a decade,” Sen. Hirono said. “This strong bipartisan agreement also protects needy families from painful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and supports many programs that are critical to Hawai‘i farmers and growers. I urge the House to pass this legislation and for the president to sign it as quickly as possible.”

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Introduced earlier this Congress, Sen. Hirono’s Macadamia Tree Health Initiative makes researching and developing management strategies to combat the macadamia felted coccid a high priority at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Additionally, Sen. Hirono teamed up with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) to include a floor amendment to provide small grants for individuals, food banks, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and other nonprofit organizations to promote food security and the availability of fresh food for local communities throughout Hawai‘i.

Additional Hawai‘i priorities Sen. Hirono fought to protect and include in the Senate Farm Bill: