Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 2763, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation to eradicate and control coqui frog populations in all four counties.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Agriculture, the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the County of Hawaii, C&H Farms, the Hawaii Association of Realtors, the Maui Outdoor Circle, and Kihei Akahi. Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that the coqui frog population has grown exponentially over the past decade. Although all four counties in Hawaii are affected by the coqui frog, Maui County's and Hawaii County's coqui frog populations are particularly bad, still at the infestation level, and are by no means under control. For example, in 2001, there were over 85 documented sightings of the frogs with another 65 occurrences that were undocumented. Currently, there are over 150 established sites on the island of Hawaii infested with coqui frogs, and it is estimated that coqui frog populations on the island of Hawaii alone could reach ten times that reported in the frogs' native forests of Puerto Rico. Thus, your Committee finds that controlling and eradicating coqui frog populations in all four counties is appropriate.

Your Committee has amended this measure by replacing its contents with S.B. No. 2417, S.D. 2, which supplements the contributions by the County of Hawaii, the State, and the federal government to implement the action plan on the island of Hawaii, as well as fund coqui frog control efforts in the County of Maui and extermination efforts in the counties of Kauai and Oahu.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2763, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2763, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.