STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3457

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 167

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 167 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE TO SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE DETAILING A PLAN TO IMPROVE THE IMPORT PERMIT PROCESS FOR ALL AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Board of Agriculture to submit a report to the Legislature detailing a plan to improve the import permit process for all agricultural commodities.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

Your Committee finds that the Plant Quarantine Branch of the Department of Agriculture is tasked with preventing the introduction and spread of harmful pests and diseases into the State by regulating domestic import, performing border inspections, and facilitating post border detection and control of agricultural pests. The Plant Quarantine Branch also administers the import permit program to control the importation of plants, insects, microorganisms, and non-domestic animals. However, concerns have been raised about the Branch's existing administrative rules and import permit process. This measure therefore requests the Board of Agriculture to develop a plan to improve its import permit process for all agricultural commodities to ensure that the process reflects current industry conditions, needs, and best practices.

Your Committee has heard concerns from the Department of Agriculture that this measure requests the Board of Agriculture to implement risk-based assessments for all import categories, which may eliminate the specificity in the review process and could impose unnecessary restrictions on certain users. Your Committee understands these concerns and notes that a general review and update of the import permit process by the Board of Agriculture may be more appropriate.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Board of Agriculture is requested to review and update the import permit process for all agricultural commodities and submit a report to the Legislature, prior to the next legislative session, recommending any required legislative changes to the import permit process, rather than requesting the Board to submit a report to the Legislature that includes specific changes to the current import permit process;

(2) Updating its title; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 167, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 167, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair