STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3247

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1942

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1942, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the expenditure of moneys from the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund on the Department of Agriculture's electronic importer manifest program.

     Your Committee received written testimony in support of this measure from the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species and The Nature Conservancy.

     Your Committee finds that the electronic importer manifest program will help keep invasive plants and pests out of Hawaii's unique environment by linking the importer's commodities manifest with the plant quarantine branch's invicta database system.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the appropriation to an unspecified sum to facilitate further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1942, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1942, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair