STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1016

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1924

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1924 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ERADICATION AND CONTROL OF THE COQUI FROG,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to eradicate and control the spread of the coqui frog statewide and to support and implement the Coqui Frog Working Group Incident Action Plan.

     A member of the Maui County Council, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Hawaii Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Maui Outdoor Circle, and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources supported the intent of this measure.  Animal Rights Hawaii and a concerned individual opposed this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1924, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1924, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair