2013-01-23 | permalink

Hawai’i (USA) Legislature takes up GMO debate

State lawmakers have begun this year’s Legislature with a pile of bills targeting biotech industries that produce genetically modified organisms, with measures ranging from mandatory labeling to a total ban of such products in Hawai’i. House Bill 107 seeks to prohibit testing taro for genetic-modification purposes in the entire state, a ban which has been in effect on Big Island since November 2008 and in Maui County since October 2009, according to the bill. HB 107 was introduced Friday and passed first reading on the same day, but it has not been referred to any committee yet. Arguably the most ambitious bill, HB 349 seeks to stop GMO products from being sold or distributed in Hawai’i as early as Jan. 1, 2014.

• The Garden Island, USA: Legislature takes up GMO debate