CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 107-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2016

RE:    H.B. No. 1050

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1050, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INTERISLAND MOVEMENT OF INVASIVE SPECIES,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to address the spread of invasive species throughout the State that harms agriculture, native biota, public health, and the economic well-being of the State.  More specifically, this measure:

(1)  Requires the Department of Agriculture (DOA) through existing contracts and appropriated funds for invasive species activities to undertake invasive species management related to agricultural lands and agricultural and non-agricultural commodities, including:

(A)  Developing an interisland and export tracking database;

(B)  Providing pest-specific risk level assessments for the interisland transport of non-agricultural commodities;

(C)  Increasing the priority of inspecting the interisland transport of agricultural commodities;

(D)  Developing quarantine treatments for high-risk commodities moving between islands;

(E)  Coordinating with the Department of Transportation the planning of interisland quarantine activities at ports of entry;

(F)  Implementing statewide pest management programs for potted plant, cut-flower, and cut-foliage production; and

(G)  Providing chemicals and equipment to assist growers in reducing infestation in agricultural areas, statewide, as a result of interisland movement of invasive species; and

(2)  Requires the DOA to submit annual reports to the Legislature relating to the status of its mandated activities including projections of future expenditures and future acreage to be under pest management by crop; and

(3)  Appropriates funds from the Pest Inspection, Quarantine, and Eradication Fund for tasks described in paragraphs (1)(A) to (E) above (Tracking Database and other tasks);

(4)  Appropriates funds from the Agricultural Development and Food Security Special Fund for tasks described in paragraphs (1)(F) and (G) above (Plants and Chemicals and Equipment); and

(5)  Appropriates general funds for the purposes of this measure.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1)  Specifying in its findings and purpose section that:

(A)  DOA's Plant Quarantine Branch is a critical component in meeting the threat of invasive species entering and spreading throughout the State; and

(B)  DOA should focus on preventing the introduction of invasive species into the State, in addition to reducing its presence in agricultural production areas and performing other specified tasks;

(2)  With respect to the interisland and export tracking database, providing that all proprietary information be kept confidential by DOA;

(3)  Deleting the requirement that DOA undertake pest-specific risk level assessment of non-agricultural commodities being transported interisland;

(4)  Requiring DOA to increase detection, response, and control programs to address agricultural pests statewide and deleting the requirements that DOA implement pest management programs for potted plants and other specified plants and provide chemicals and equipment to assist growers;

(5)  With respect to DOA's annual reports required by this measure, deleting the required inclusion of information relating to the number of acres in pest management in total and by crop and further requiring that the report be made part of the annual report that DOA is currently required to submit to the Legislature;

(7)  Changing all references to funding sources to general funds of the State and specifying the general fund appropriation amount of:

(A)  $100,000 for Tracking Database and other tasks;

(B)  $800,000 to increase detection, response, and control programs to address agricultural pests statewide, rather than for Plants and Chemicals and Equipment; and

(C)  $1,000,000 for planning, site selection, environmental documentation, and preliminary design for a facility for edible agricultural crops and another facility for non-edible crops for marshalling and treating exports from Hawaii Island, rather than for the purposes of this measure;

(8)  Adding a general fund appropriation of $100,000 for the Auditor to conduct a financial and performance audit of DOA's Plant Quarantine Branch;

(9)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2016; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1050, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1050, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair	____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Co-Chair
____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Co-Chair	____________________________ RICHARD H.K. ONISHI, Co-Chair
____________________________ GIL RIVIERE, Co-Chair