STAND. COM. REP. NO.  753-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 1943

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1943, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide funding for invasive species detector-dog positions to the Department of Agriculture.

The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, Hawaii Farmer's Union and four individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Leaving blank the amount appropriated for the 2012-2013 fiscal year to match the grant provided by the federal Office of Insular Affairs to fund the plant quarantine detector-dog program;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  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. 1943, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1943, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair