STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2982

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2977

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EGG-LAYING HENS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish standards for farm owners or operators to confine egg-laying hens;

(2) Effective June 30, 2027, prohibit a business owner or operator from selling shell eggs or egg products that are produced by egg-laying hens that were confined in a cruel manner, with exceptions; and

(3) Establish penalties.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiian Humane Society, Animal Rights Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Airlines, Down to Earth, Villa Rose, Animal Equality, Humane Society of the United States, Animal Outlook, Compassion in World Farming, Friends of the Earth, World Animal Protection, Animal Legal Defense Fund, The Humane League, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Human Society International, Mercy for Animals, Farm Sanctuary, Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and seven individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and one individual.

Your Committees find that there is increasing public concern for the way in which farm animals are treated, especially for matters affecting food safety and public health, as there have been scientifically proven connections between animal welfare and zoonotic disease. Most eggs currently sold in the State come from industrial factory farms that confine hens in extremely small spaces, often in barren wire cages. This measure establishes minimum standards for housing egg-laying hens and certain sales provisions to ensure that eggs sold in the State come from operations that meet modest standards, regardless of where they are produced.

Your Committees further find that, due to concerns raised by the Department of Agriculture, it is appropriate to amend this measure to include a defective effective date to encourage further discussion but note that a number of testifiers in support of this measure requested the provisions of the measure commence on January 1, 2025.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that it shall be unlawful for business owners or operators to engage in the sale of any shell egg or egg product that the business owner or operator knows or should have known was produced by an egg-laying hen that was confined in a manner that violates best practices for humanely housing egg-laying hens;

(2) Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair