STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1559-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   S.B. No. 3001

      S.D. 2

      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 Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 3001, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WILDLIFE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prohibit the interisland transfer, transport, or release after transport of wild or feral deer.

The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation testified in support of this measure.  The Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter testified in support of the intent of this measure.  The Nature Conservancy, Oahu Invasive Species Committee and Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species testified in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources and Humane Society of the United States provided comments on this measure.  

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Limiting the scope of this measure to apply to a person who engages in all three acts of transferring, transporting, and releasing after transport a wild or feral deer;

     (2)  Expanding the entities that may issue a permit authorizing the transfer, transport, and release after transport of a wild or feral deer to include other state departments;

     (3)  Exempting non-feral domestic animals as referenced in section 142-68, Hawaii Revised Statutes, from the provisions of this measure;

     (4)  Defining "feral" as having escaped or been released from domestication and living in a wild and unconfined state;  

     (5)  Changing the effective date to January 7, 2059, to promote further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3001, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3001, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

GILBERT KEITH-AGARAN, Chair