STAND. COM. REP. NO.  550

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 673

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 673, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PESTICIDES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to better address public health and environmental issues relating to pesticide use by requiring the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to publish an annual report summarizing specified information regarding restricted pesticide use in the State.

Two individual council members of the Kauai County Council, the Hawaii Organic Farming Association, GMO Free Kauai, Hawaii SEED, Babes Against Biotech, and numerous individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Transportation; Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.; Hawaii Pest Control Association; Maui County Farm Bureau; Kauai County Farm Bureau; Hawaii Crop Improvement Association; and a few individuals provided testimony in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Agriculture; the Department of Land and Natural Resources; DuPont Pioneer; North Shore Farms, LLC; and a few individuals provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the requirement that DOA publish an annual report summarizing specified information regarding restricted use pesticide use in the State and permit an independent review of the restricted use pesticide use collection procedures to verify the accuracy of the data collected;

     (2)  Deleting the requirement that any private or commercial pesticide applicator provide a requesting property owner certain information about the application of pesticides to property abutting the requestor's property;

     (3)  Deleting the provision allowing DOA to implement a pesticide use reporting fee;

     (4)  Requiring DOA to publish on its website all reports received by the DOA regarding restricted pesticide use in the State;

     (5)  Requiring the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study regarding other states' pesticide reporting and registry requirements as they relate to urban and agricultural areas, and the costs incurred to establish pesticide use and registry programs; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 673, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 673, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair