Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs and Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 1087 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Department of Agriculture to charge user fees for inspection and other services it provides pursuant to chapter 150A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, in addition to fees already authorized for services related to the importation of animals and seeds, and to establish an invasive species special fund into which these fees will be deposited and which will be used to fund services that prevent the importation of invasive alien species.

Testimony in favor of the measure was received from The Nature Conservancy and the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center. The Department of Agriculture and Matson Navigation Company provided testimony supporting the intent of the measure and offered comments. Comments were received from the Land Use Research Foundation.

Your Committees find that the invasion of various plant and animal alien species threatens to upset the ecosystem, native forests, agricultural production, and the health and lifestyle of Hawaii's people, among other things. Effective programs to protect against introduction of invasive species at ports of entry are needed. Additional sources of funding would help in this mission.

Your Committees have amended this measure by clarifying that the moneys to be collected from user fees under this measure do not include moneys from fines assessed for violations of Chapter 150A.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs and Water, Land, and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1087, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1087, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.