STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1079

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 871

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 871, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BIOSECURITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Reaffirm the Legislature's finding that the implementation of the Department of Agriculture's biosecurity program is vital to the State;

     (2)  Authorize the Department of Agriculture to establish or participate in private-public partnerships to enhance the biosecurity program and quarantine inspection process; provided that department employees perform the actual inspections;

     (3)  Require the Department of Agriculture to adopt rules to establish parameters and construction requirements for biosecurity facilities; and

     (4)  Appropriate funds to enable the Department of Agriculture to complete the implementation of the biosecurity program to include an integrated computer manifest system.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Maui County Farm Bureau, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, The Nature Conservancy, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association, and one individual.

     Your Committees find that the unchecked spread of invasive species is one of the greatest threats to Hawaii's economy, natural environment, and the health and lifestyle of Hawaii's people.  Your Committees further find that the Department of Agriculture has created a biosecurity program to fight invasive species on many fronts and has supported the growth of Hawaii's agricultural industry by working to reduce dependency on imported agricultural products that may contain pests.  This biosecurity program is vital to Hawaii, and your Committees further find that building local capacity to increase the State's ability to stop the entry of high-risk products is crucial to mitigate and manage invasive species.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting language from S.B. No. 1062, S.D. 2 (Regular Session), that creates a new part in chapter 141, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which establishes the Hawaii biosecurity program as a function of the entire Department of Agriculture, rather than a single branch of the Department, and incorporates chapter 150A, part VI, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (2)  Incorporating the amendments proposed by this measure to section 150A-53, Hawaii Revised Statutes, into the new part added to chapter 141, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (3)  Repealing chapter 150A, part VI, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (4)  Amending Section 1 to reflect the amended purpose of this measure;

     (5)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 871, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 871, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair