§157-31  Petition to establish, revise, orterminate minimum prices, salvage values, and quotas.  (a)  Upon petitionby the producers and producer-distributors who produce fifty-five per cent ofthe milk in a milk shed, or by fifty-five per cent of all producers in a milkshed, or upon the board's own motion, the board shall adopt rules pursuant tochapter 91 to:

(1)  Establish, revise, or terminate the minimumprices or salvage values for milk to be paid to producers andproducer-distributors or the quotas for the production of milk in a milk shed,or any of them; or

(2)  Establish specific formulas or criteria fordetermining the minimum prices or salvage values for milk to be paid toproducers and producer-distributors or the quotas for the production of milk ina milk shed, or any of them.

For the purposes of this section, eachproducer-member of an agricultural cooperative shall be counted as a producer,and an agricultural cooperative shall not be counted as a producer or as aproducer-distributor.

(b)  Public hearings to establish, revise, orterminate minimum prices, salvage values, and quotas or to establish specificformulas or criteria for setting minimum prices, salvage values, or quotas,shall not constitute a contested case as defined by chapter 91. [L 1967, c 260,§20; HRS §157-31; am L 1971, c 184, pt of §4; ree L 1972, c 40, pt of §2; am L1977, c 96, §2; am L 1997, c 118, §§2, 6; am L 1998, c 19, §1]