STAND. COM. REP. NO. 247-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2745
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B.
No. 2745 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO QUARANTINE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to exempt from quarantine, with
qualifying conditions, service animals owned by persons with
disabilities.

     Your Committee finds that the State has the responsibility
to meet the needs of its resident disability community, including
visitors with disabilities who use service animals to maintain
independent living.  Your Committee further finds that the risk
of spreading rabies from service animals, particularly dogs, is
virtually nonexistent due to high level of care.  Service animals
undergo prolonged periods of training, are under constant strict
controls and surveillance during training, have well documented
health records, receive regularly scheduled vaccinations for
prolonged periods, have no history of rabies exposure, and are
positively identifiable by tattoo or implanted micro chip.

      Testimonies in support of this bill were received from the
Hawaii Centers for Independent Living, the Hawaiian Humane
Society, the Disability and Communication Access Board, the
Hawaii Services on Deafness, and, Ms Susan Luehrs, Special
Education Instructor, Kahuku High and Intermediate School, State
Department of Education.


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 247-00
                                 Page 2

 
     The Board of Agriculture testified in opposition to this
bill since the Department amended the Administrative Rules to
allow certified guide dogs to enter the state without quarantine
provided specific pre-arrival and post-arrival requirements were
met.  The department is proceeding with rule changes that include
service, hearing, and seizure/responder dogs as additional
categories of assistance dogs under the rules.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2745 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred
to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Agriculture,



                                   ______________________________
                                   FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair