STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1576

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 1059

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1059, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure as received by your Committee, is to address the spread of invasive species by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) to undertake specified invasive species management tasks related to agricultural lands, non-agricultural lands, and agricultural and non-agricultural commodities; and

     (2)  Requiring the DOA and HISC to each submit annual reports to the Legislature.

     For the purposes of a public hearing on this measure, your Committee circulated S.B. No. 1059, S.D. 2, H.D. 2 (Proposed Draft), and notified the public that it would be accepting testimony on the Proposed Draft.  In addition to the purpose of this measure, as received by your Committee, the Proposed Draft requires the DOA, while appropriating funds, to:

(1)  Develop and implement a pilot pesticide treatment coupon project within the Little Fire Ant program;

(2)  Create a map that identifies all little fire ant sites in the County of Hawaii; and

(3)  Submit a report on the pilot pesticide treatment coupon project to the Legislature.

The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and Hawaii Floriculture and Nursery Association supported the Proposed Draft.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Office of Information Practices, Hawaii Invasive Species Council, and the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species submitted comments on the Proposed Draft.  

     Your Committee considered the merits of both S.B. No. 1059, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as received by your Committee, and the Proposed Draft, and upon careful consideration, adopted the Proposed Draft.  Your Committee further amended the Proposed Draft by changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion.

     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 S.B. No. 1059, 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. 1059, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair