Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Energy, Environment, and International Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 956 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend plant and non-domestic animal importation laws to allow the Department of Agriculture to inspect imported commodities for pests.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture, the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Crop Care Hawaii, LLC, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Hawaii Farm Bureau, the Nature Conservancy, Kaupo Ranch, Ltd., and one individual.

Your Committees find that imported commodities are considered "high risk" for pests and should receive the level of attention necessary to protect Hawaii from foreign species invasions. This measure allows the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules that identify specific articles on bills of lading for inspection for pests.

Your Committees have amended this measure to:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Energy, Environment, and International Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 956, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 956, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.