STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1380-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2559

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2559, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Invasive Species Council to maintain a list of priority invasive species and diseases that pose a high risk to public health and safety, the environment, or agriculture; and

(2) Clarify that state, county, and authorized agents' authority to enter private property to control and eradicate invasive species also applies when there is a reasonable suspicion that priority invasive species, as declared by the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, are present on that property.

The Department of Agriculture, a Council Member of the County Council of Maui, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Council Member representing Council District 4 of the County of Hawaii, The Humane Society of the United States, Big Island Invasive Species Committee, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, The Hawaiian Electric Companies, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, The Nature Conservancy of Hawai‘i, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, and several individuals supported this measure. Hawaii Cattlemen's Council and several individuals opposed this measure. The Department of Land and Natural Resources provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Authorizing the Board of Land and Natural Resources to add a species for one year to the list of priority invasive species and diseases in situations that the Board deems as an emergency without regard to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and renew the species' listing for an additional year; and

(2) Requiring the Invasive Species Council to initiate the process of listing the species added by the Board through adoption of administrative rules.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2559, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2559, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair