REPORT TITLE:
Cats; Feral


DESCRIPTION:
Creates a task force in DOH to address the feral cat problem.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           2500
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO FERAL ANIMALS.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the State continues
 
 2 to face an overpopulation of feral cats.  These cats include tame
 
 3 cats which have been abandoned by irresponsible owners and the
 
 4 progeny of these cats which are often unsocialized to human
 
 5 contact.  Historically, many people have tried to trap and remove
 
 6 these cats, often to the detriment of the cats.  These methods
 
 7 have not proven successful and the problem persists.  A new
 
 8 method called trap/neuter/return, or TNR, has been used
 
 9 successfully in many countries and in other states and cities in
 
10 the United States.  This method consists of a dedicated volunteer
 
11 caretaker pulling free-roaming feral cats into colonies and
 
12 gaining their trust through daily, consistent feeding which then
 
13 enables the caretaker to trap the animals for sterilization.
 
14 Once all the animals in a colony are sterilized, they remain in
 
15 the group for life, fed and monitored by the caretaker.
 
16      Many volunteer groups exist on Oahu and in the other
 
17 counties which have an impressive track record of putting TNR to
 
18 practice and supporting the effort.  Two outstanding examples of
 
19 these are the Hawaii Cat Foundation, in the forefront of the TNR
 

 
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 1 practice and the newly formed Abandoned and Feral Cat Friends
 
 2 working tirelessly to stabilize additional colonies.  Both of
 
 3 these groups work in conjunction with the Hawaiian Humane Society
 
 4 which for many years has aided the managed cat colony caretakers
 
 5 by providing free spay/neuter surgery and inexpensive
 
 6 identification for feral cats.  Due to this program and many of
 
 7 the caretakers and their supporters, a number of areas on Oahu
 
 8 have been stabilized, which contain distinct cat colonies
 
 9 consisting of well cared for, neutered feral cats.  The impact of
 
10 these colonies on the public is minimal in comparison to the
 
11 impact of the uncontrolled populations of feral cats in existence
 
12 prior to the caretakers' intervention.  It is the plan of many of
 
13 these volunteers to continue the TNR program until it is no
 
14 longer needed.
 
15     Recently, the vector control branch of the department of health
 
16 proposed rules and has held hearings on them which would in effect bring
 
17 the TNR program to a complete halt.  These rules will forbid feeding any
 
18 feral animal on public, and some private, land.  While the goals of the
 
19 department are laudable and must be addressed, it appears that such
 
20 draconian measures may not accomplish the department's goals.  In
 
21 addition, interested parties such as the various humane societies and
 
22 other animal welfare organizations did not have a chance to provide input
 

 
 
 
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 1 into the drafting of these proposed rules until the final hearing stage.
 
 2 Because of this, the entire TNR program seems to have been overlooked by
 
 3 the department as a viable alternative.
 
 4     Based on the success of the TNR program and the enormous volunteer
 
 5 efforts provided by those concerned with the cats' welfare and their
 
 6 impact on the public, the purpose of this Act is to delay the adoption of
 
 7 any rules relating to feral cats until a task force can be convened to
 
 8 discuss the issues involved and propose alternatives to a feeding ban.
 
 9     SECTION 2.  There is established a temporary managed cat colony task
 
10 force in the office of the director of health for administrative purposes
 
11 to address the trap/neuter/return program as a solution to health
 
12 concerns raised by cat overpopulation.
 
13     The task force shall include representatives from all four counties
 
14 and shall consist of:
 
15     (1)  Volunteer representatives of every interested not-for-profit
 
16          organization whose purpose is to:
 
17          (A)  Provide for the care and control of feral cat colonies;
 
18          (B)  Promote the welfare of animals generally; or
 
19          (C)  Provide low cost or free spay/neutering services for
 
20               caretakers of colonies;
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 1     (2)  Representatives of government agencies involved in public
 
 2          health; and
 
 3     (3)  At least five feral cat colony caretakers.
 
 4     No later than August 1,2000, each agency and nonprofit organization
 
 5 shall appoint their own representative to the task force.  Those
 
 6 representatives shall then solicit names of feral cat colony caretakers
 
 7 who volunteer to sit on the task force and shall select five of these
 
 8 based on their knowledge of the TNR program and ability to serve on the
 
 9 task force.  The task force shall elect a chair, vice chair, and
 
10 secretary from its members at its first meeting.  Until the election, the
 
11 representative from the Hawaiian Humane Society shall act as temporary
 
12 chair.
 
13     The task force shall address cat-related health concerns.  It shall
 
14 immediately survey, in general terms, the managed colonies already
 
15 present in the State including a census of cats in the colonies.  As much
 
16 as possible, it shall keep track of new colony formation including the
 
17 number of cats in the area prior to sterilization, the number of cats
 
18 sterilized, the steps taken for new cats which appear in the colony, and
 
19 any health issues which might occur.  No identifying information shall be
 
20 collected without the caretaker's consent.  The task force shall also
 
21 monitor all complaints called to the vector control branch which are
 

 
 
 
 
 
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 1 directly related to cats and public health, including those relating to
 
 2 feral cats in colonies and not in colonies, and domestic cats, keeping
 
 3 all complaints in at least those categories with summaries of the
 
 4 complaint and its resolution.  In addition, each complaint shall include
 
 5 the name of the complainant if known and the geographical location of the
 
 6 problem complained of.
 
 7     The task force shall submit interim reports to the legislature thirty
 
 8 days prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2001, 2002, 2003,
 
 9 2004 unless its work is completed sooner; provided that the task force
 
10 shall submit a final report thirty days prior to the convening of the
 
11 Regular Session of the legislature following the completion of its work
 
12 but in no case later than thirty days prior to the convening of the
 
13 Regular Session of 2006.  Each interim report shall describe the task
 
14 force's progress toward finding specific solutions to alleviate the
 
15 public health impact of feral cats.
 
16     SECTION 3.  The department of health shall not adopt any rules
 
17 relating to feral animals, and any such rules already in effect at the
 
18 time of the establishment of the task force shall be put in abeyance,
 
19 until the managed cat colony task force has completed its discussions and
 
20 made its recommendations in its final report to the legislature.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 1     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
 2 
 
 3                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________