REPORT TITLE:
Animal Quarantine Special Fund


DESCRIPTION:
Establishes the animal quarantine military assistance account
within the animal quarantine special fund to partially defray the
cost of quarantining cats, dogs, and other carnivores owned by
active-duty military personnel transferring to Hawaii.
Appropriates funds into the account.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           2123
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO ANIMAL QUARANTINE.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that military personnel
 
 2 and their dependents constitute thirteen per cent of the State's
 
 3 total population.  The military is the fourth largest employer in
 
 4 Hawaii, generates fifteen per cent of the State's gross product,
 
 5 and brings a payroll to the islands worth $2,720,000,000.
 
 6 According to the department of business, economic development,
 
 7 and tourism, the military's measurable annual contributions to
 
 8 the State's economy is an estimated $5,000,000,000.  The
 
 9 contribution to Hawaii's total tax revenue by military personnel
 
10 and their dependents is approximately $640,000,000, or one-fifth
 
11 of the total tax revenue.
 
12      Because military personnel are continuously rotated among
 
13 posts in other countries and states, it is not uncommon for many
 
14 personnel to move several times--both overseas and within the
 
15 United States--before discharge.  This continuous cycle of
 
16 rotations, coupled with the increased number and length of
 
17 overseas deployments--places a great strain on military personnel
 
18 and their families.  In fact, quality of life is one of the most
 
19 important factors affecting reenlistment, or the retention of
 

 
Page 2                                                     
                                     S.B. NO.           2123
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 military personnel beyond their initial commitment.
 
 2      While a rotation to Hawaii may be a dream assignment to some
 
 3 military personnel or their dependents, or both, it comes as a
 
 4 financial nightmare to those personnel who own pets that must be
 
 5 quarantined before being allowed to enter the State.  The State's
 
 6 animal quarantine laws disproportionately affect military
 
 7 personnel and their dependents, whose pets accounted for thirty-
 
 8 five per cent of all animals passing through the quarantine
 
 9 station during fiscal year 1998-1999.  Because the costs of
 
10 animal quarantine are not even partially reimbursed to the State
 
11 (in the form of impact aid) or to military dependents (in the
 
12 form of a special moving allowance) by the federal government,
 
13 military dependents must foot the entire cost--approximately $655
 
14 per animal for a thirty-day stay--themselves.
 
15      Until the State can obtain at least partial reimbursement in
 
16 the form of impact aid or military personnel assigned to Hawaii
 
17 can obtain at least partial reimbursement in the form of a
 
18 special moving allowance, a rotation to Hawaii will come as a
 
19 financial nightmare to those personnel who own pets that must be
 
20 quarantined before being allowed to enter the State.
 
21      Consequently, this Act establishes the animal quarantine
 
22 military assistance account within the animal quarantine special
 
23 fund to partially defray the cost of quarantining cats, dogs, and
 

 
Page 3                                                     
                                     S.B. NO.           2123
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 other carnivores owned by active-duty military personnel
 
 2 transferring to Hawaii.  This Act is only a temporary solution,
 
 3 and meant to allow Hawaii's congressional delegation to work with
 
 4 the Department of Defense to provide financial relief to either
 
 5 the State or to military dependents.
 
 6      The legislature declares that keeping Hawaii rabies-free is
 
 7 a public health and safety concern, and that the cost of animal
 
 8 quarantine should be borne by all the people of Hawaii and not
 
 9 only those people who are required to use the services and
 
10 facilities of the animal quarantine station.
 
11      SECTION 2.  Section 142-28.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
12 amended to read as follows:
 
13      "[[]§142-28.5[]]  Animal quarantine special fund[.] and
 
14 military assistance account.  (a)  There is established the
 
15 animal quarantine special fund to be administered by the board of
 
16 agriculture.  All moneys received by the board of agriculture as
 
17 fees for the quarantine of cats, dogs, and other carnivores
 
18 pursuant to this chapter, or any state appropriations or other
 
19 moneys made available for the cost of quarantine, shall be
 
20 deposited into the special fund.  All interest earned or accrued
 
21 on moneys deposited in the special fund shall become part of the
 
22 special fund.  Moneys in the special fund shall be expended to
 
23 cover all costs of quarantine [but not limited to], including the
 

 
Page 4                                                     
                                     S.B. NO.           2123
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 costs of salaries, fringe benefits, operating expenses,
 
 2 equipment, motor vehicles, contract with any qualified person or
 
 3 entity for animal care services, operation and maintenance of the
 
 4 quarantine station, and promotional expenses.  A reserve shall be
 
 5 appropriated and maintained in the special fund to cover
 
 6 contingency costs, including [but not limited to] accrued
 
 7 vacation leave, unemployment insurance, and workers'
 
 8 compensation.
 
 9      (b)  There is established within the animal quarantine
 
10 special fund, an account to be known as the animal quarantine
 
11 military assistance account and to be administered by the board
 
12 of agriculture.  Notwithstanding subsection (a) to the contrary:
 
13      (1)  The military assistance account shall consist of moneys
 
14           appropriated by the legislature or granted by the
 
15           federal government, or both, to partially defray the
 
16           cost of quarantining cats, dogs, and other carnivores
 
17           owned by active-duty military personnel transferring to
 
18           Hawaii; and
 
19      (2)  All interest earned or accrued on moneys deposited in
 
20           the military assistance account shall become part of
 
21           the account.
 
22      (c)  Moneys in the military assistance account shall be
 
23 expended to cover all costs of quarantine, including the costs of
 

 
Page 5                                                     
                                     S.B. NO.           2123
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 salaries, fringe benefits, accrued vacation leave, unemployment
 
 2 insurance, workers' compensation, operating expenses, equipment,
 
 3 motor vehicles, contract with any qualified person or entity for
 
 4 animal care services, operation and maintenance of the quarantine
 
 5 station, and promotional expenses.  The board of agriculture may
 
 6 adopt rules, including fee schedules, to carry out the purposes
 
 7 of this subsection; provided that the rules shall be exempt from
 
 8 the public notice and public hearing requirements of chapter 91."
 
 9      SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
10 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $300,000, for fiscal
 
11 year 2000-2001, to be paid into the animal quarantine military
 
12 assistance account established in section 142-28.5, Hawaii
 
13 Revised Statutes.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
14 department of agriculture for the purposes of the animal
 
15 quarantine military assistance account.
 
16      SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
17 New statutory material is underscored.
 
18      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000;
 
19 provided that:
 
20      (1)  On June 30, 2002, section 2 of this Act shall be
 
21           repealed and section 142-28.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
 
22           is reenacted in the form in which it read on June 30,
 
23           2000; and
 

 
Page 6                                                     
                                     S.B. NO.           2123
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (2)  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance in the animal
 
 2           quarantine military assistance account, established in
 
 3           section 2 of this Act, shall lapse to the credit of the
 
 4           general fund.
 
 5 
 
 6                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________