STAND. COM. REP. NO. 555

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 810
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development, to which was
referred S.B. No. 810 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:
     
     The purpose of this measure is to designate fiddlewood,
khakiweed, and common sandbur as noxious weeds.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from one individual.  The Department of Agriculture testified in
opposition.

     Your Committee finds that noxious weeds are currently
designated by rule, rather than by statute, and must meet five
criteria relating to plant reproduction, growth characteristics,
detrimental effects, control, and distribution and spread.  Under
these criteria, khakiweed and common sandbur do not meet the
noxious weed designation because they are common and well
established, and fiddlewood has not been so designated due to
insufficient information.

     Your Committee understands the current procedures for
designation of a noxious weed, but does not believe that simply
because a weed is "common and well established" or has not been
exhaustively studied, it should escape this designation and the
increased mitigation efforts associated with noxious weeds.
Alien species continue to spread throughout Hawaii, and broad-

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 555
                                   Page 2


based efforts must be made to control this threat to the
environment.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Economic Development that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 810 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Economic
                                   Development,



                                   ______________________________
                                   LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

 
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