HR239

WHEREAS, dogs in Hawaii and the United States of America are loyal companions, faithful workers who serve and protect, and are affectionately known as "man's best friend"; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is blessed with K-9 units that have made several large drug busts at our airports; preventing kilos of crystal meth from reaching our islands' people; and

WHEREAS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has more than 800 canine teams that work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to combat terrorist threats, stop the flow of illegal narcotics, and detect unreported currency, concealed humans, or smuggled agriculture products; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Military utilizes dogs to brave situations in war; finding mines, locating the enemy, and search and rescue; vital in detecting potential explosives at large scale events like the Olympics, Presidential debates, and economic conferences; and

WHEREAS, people with disabilities in Hawaii rely on dogs to provide living assistance as guide dogs, hearing dogs, service dogs, and in other capacities as well; and

WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law in 1990, guarantees people with disabilities the right to be accompanied by a service animal in all areas open to the general public; and

WHEREAS, search and rescue dogs can identify a suspect or missing person's scent and microscopic particles; dogs have a superior sense of smell at concentrations of nearly 100 million times lower than humans; extremely valuable in dark situations, heavy dense woods, disaster debris, and under water; and

WHEREAS, working in horrific and distressing emergency situations disaster search dogs play a key role in finding survivors and victims of earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, fires, explosions, plane and train wrecks; and

WHEREAS, in the agricultural field dogs herd and head cattle and sheep, patrolling boundaries and protecting crops; and

WHEREAS, research shows dogs in the presence of patients suffering from physical, emotional, and social conditions, aid in increasing the possibility of recovery; and

WHEREAS, dogs help to lower blood pressure, decrease serum cholesterol, relieve anxiety in people and possess the ability to sniff out cancer and detect the onset of seizures; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is known throughout the world as home to people of many ethnicities and cultures, with newcomers to our shores coming from different countries bringing different values and perspectives; and

WHEREAS, as is the case in any community, without outreach and education to bring about understanding and appreciation of differing values, conflict can arise; and

WHEREAS, recently there have been several high profile cases of animal cruelty and consumption of dog in the State, causing trauma to our children and distress to our community at large, which holds one of the largest per capita pet dog ownerships in the nation; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that a task force is requested to be convened to create a strategic and implementation plan, including potential legislation, to conduct outreach and education regarding animal cruelty and the important, positive role and image the dog represents in Hawaii and the Nation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the members of the task force include a representative from the following organizations and agencies: the Attorney General, the Prosecutor's Office of each county, the Public Defender, the Police Chiefs of each county, the Humane Society of Hawaii, the Office of Language Access, and the Department of Health; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the strategic plan, implementation plan, and any proposed legislation, be submitted to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2009 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Attorney General, the Prosecutor's Office of each county, the Public Defender, the Police chiefs of each county, the Humane Society of Hawaii, the Office of Language Access, and the Department of Health.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Task force; animal cruelty; education and outreach

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	239
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII