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Posted: Friday, April 20th, 2007 5:20 PM HST

Taro to become Hawaii state plant ... in 18 years

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ Taro has been a symbol of Hawaii for generations. But a legislative screw-up keeps it from becoming the official state plant until 2025. Lawmakers made a mistake when they wrote the popular, feel-good bill designating taro as the state plant. The law wouldn't go into effect for another 18 years. The error happened when a House committee changed the law from taking effect immediately to taking effect January first, 2025. This kind of date change is common as House bills are passed to the Senate, often just to ensure that they don't become law without a thorough debate. The date is supposed to be changed by the Senate before it gets to Governor Lingle's desk. Obviously, that didn't happen this time. (Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved)