STAND. COM. REP. NO. 426-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1985
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No.
1985 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FERAL ANIMALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to find solutions and
compromises to the feral cat overpopulation problem by:

     (1)  Creating a task force to oversee the management and
          control of feral cat colonies in the State; and

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Health (DOH) to freeze the
          adoption of any rules relating to feral animals until
          the task force completes its discussions and
          recommendations.

     Animal Rights Hawaii, the Hawaii Cat Foundation, Abandoned
and Feral Cat Friends, Alley Cat Allies, the Animal CARE
Foundation, advoCATS, the Oahu Cat Caretakers Coalition, and
numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  DOH
and the Hawaiian Humane Society testified in support of the
intent of this measure.  The Board of Land and Natural Resources,
the Hawaii Audubon Society, and an individual opposed this
measure.

     Feral cat caretakers are addressing the problem of
overpopulation of feral cats by conducting a Trap/Neuter/Return
(TNR) approach to decrease colony size by natural attrition.  To

 
 
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catch the feral cats for TNR, caretakers are laying out food as a
trap.  However, when cats are overfed, rodents emerge to claim
the excess food, posing a public health problem.

     DOH testified that while rodents are a public health
problem, vector controls are not working.  As a solution, DOH
recently proposed a rule to make feeding feral cats illegal, and
in doing so, overlooked the TNR approach as a viable alternative
to the problem of overpopulation of feral cats.

     Your Committee finds that interested parties such as the
various humane societies and other animal welfare organizations
did not have a chance to provide input into the drafting of the
proposed rules until the final hearing stage.  Your Committee
believes that advocates of feral cats need to be part of the
solution.

     This measure enables the various parties to reach
compromises by establishing the task force, but is by all means
intended to be refined as this measure is heard in subsequent
committees.  It is essential that all interested parties be
represented on the task force, and that the task force receive
input from a wide range of resources.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the membership of the task force to include:

          (A)  Representatives of all interested government
               agencies and departments;

          (B)  Representatives of animal welfare organizations;

          (C)  Representatives of environmental organizations;

          (D)  Representatives of property owners and managers;

          (E)  Persons with scientific expertise;

          (F)  No fewer than five cat colony managers whose TNR
               program is in place; and

          (G)  Other persons with interest in and expertise on
               feral cat overpopulation issues;

     (2)  Limiting the existence of the task force to two years
          and requiring an interim and final report;


 
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     (3)  Clarifying that each complaint summary must include the
          geographical location of the problem complained of, and
          other information necessary to address the problem and
          work toward a solution;

     (4)  Deleting the requirement that DOH freeze the adoption
          of any rules relating to feral animals until the task
          force completes its discussions and recommendations;
          and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
1985, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1985, H.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair