STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1385-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2907

S.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2907, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to amend its administrative rules to classify coffee leaf rust as an invasive species and expend any available funds for mitigation efforts, research, and prevention or control actions for coffee leaf rust.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one member of the Hawai‘i County Council, the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Hawaii Coffee Association, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and University of Hawai‘i System.

Your Committee finds that efforts to control coffee leaf rust are critical to sustaining the State's coffee industry. The long-term impact of a coffee leaf rust outbreak could cause a thirty percent to eighty percent loss of Hawaii's annual coffee yield if not properly treated. Classifying coffee leaf rust as an invasive species will allow the use of available funds for coffee leaf rust mitigation and prevention efforts.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2907, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

MARK J. HASHEM, Chair