STAND. COM. REP. NO.  306-16

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1597

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1597 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to address the rapid ohia death disease that is devastating the critically important ohia forests in the State, especially on the island of Hawaii, by:

 

(1)  Requiring the Department of Agriculture to submit a report to the Legislature that includes information about the nature of the rapid ohia death disease, status of plans and strategies to combat the disease, and the funds necessary to eliminate, control, or prevent the disease; and

 

(2)  Appropriating funds to research preventative and treatment methods and to control and contain damage caused by the disease.

 

     The Department of Land and Natural Resources, University of Hawaii System, Aha Moku Advisory Committee, two members of the Hawaii County Council, Conservation Council for Hawaii, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Ponoholo Ranch Limited, Carol Kwan Consulting LLC, and numerous individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Agriculture submitted comments on this measure.    

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting the amount of the appropriation; and

 

     (2)  Changing its effective date to January 20, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

 

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee on Agriculture respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $200,000 for the preparation of the report and the preventative and treatment research.

 

     To emphasize the urgency in addressing the rapid ohia death disease threat as early as possible and in a meaningful way, a member of your Committee believes that $300,000 should be appropriated for purposes of this measure.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1597, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1597, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair