STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3704

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     H.B. No. 2046

        H.D. 1

        S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2046, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate moneys to the Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii to support little fire ant mitigation efforts in the State.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; the Department of Agriculture; County of Hawaii, Office of the Mayor; Hawaii County Council; the Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i; Little Fire Ant HUI; Big Island Invasive Species Committee; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii; Ka Ohana O Na Pua; Holualoa Machi Kumiai; for Hawaii Cattlemens Council; and twenty-two concerned individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that supporting little fire ant mitigation efforts of the Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii will reduce the threat to the health, economy, and agriculture of the State posed by the little fire ant.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Changing all appropriated amounts to unspecified sums to facilitate further discussion on the measure;

 

(2)  Inserting the contents of S.B. No. 2399, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as a Part II of the measure, to, among other things, restructure the Hawaii Invasive Species Council as the Hawaii Invasive Species Authority to better coordinate invasive species mitigation and eradication initiatives; and

 

(3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2051, for sections 6, 7, and 8, and July 1, 2050, for the remainder of the Act to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2046, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2046, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair