STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1429-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.C.R. No. 11

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Agriculture, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 11 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY AND RECOMMEND ACTIONS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF COQUI FROGS AND OTHER INVASIVE SPECIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prevent the spread of coqui frogs and other invasive species in Hawaii by establishing a task force to:

(1) Investigate and recommend strategies to avoid the accidental spread of coqui frogs and other invasive species through the intraisland and interisland movement of agricultural products;

(2) Investigate and develop a protocol to prevent greenwaste from becoming a pathway for the movement of coqui frogs and other invasive species; and

(3) Report on the feasibility of installing intraisland and interisland treatment facilities for agricultural products.

C & H Farms supported this measure, while the Department of Agriculture supported the intent of the measure. The Department of Land and Natural Resources and Animal Rights Hawaii opposed this measure. The Legislative Reference Bureau offered comments.

The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land and Natural Resources expressed concerns that many of the duties assigned to the Task Force in this measure are already being accomplished by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council, which was formed under Act 85, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003.

Your Committees have therefore amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the title of the House Concurrent Resolution to "Requesting the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to Study and Report on Specific Strategies to Prevent the Spread of Coqui Frogs and Other Invasive Species";

(2) Deleting the provisions that establish the task force;

(3) Deleting the provisions requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to provide administrative, clerical, and other staff support to the task force; and

(4) Reassigning the duties of the task force to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 11, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 11, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Agriculture,

____________________________ FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair		____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Chair