STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2257

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2196

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2196 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the requirement for the County of Kauai to contract with the Kauai Humane Society to provide animal services.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Animal Rights Hawai‘i, Keiko Conservation, Kaua‘i County Council Chair Mel Rapozo, and two individuals.

Your Committees find that providing humane animal services is important for protecting public health and safety. Existing law requires the County of Kauai to contract exclusively with the Kauai Humane Society. Your Committees find that this limitation is too restrictive and could even result in services not being available to the county. Therefore, your Committees find that the county should have freedom to contract with other providers for appropriate animal services.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2196 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Judiciary,

________________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair