STAND. COM. REP. NO. 462

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 523

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 523 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BIOSECURITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to enhance protection of Hawaii's natural resources, agriculture, human health, and way of life by appropriating funds for execution of the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Ka Ohana O Na Pua, The Nature Conservancy, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, and five individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, State Procurement Office, and Department of Agriculture.

Your Committees find that the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan outlines the State's strategy for improving biosecurity from 2017 to 2027; that is, the actions and policies to be taken to mitigate the risk from invasive species introduction, establishment, and spread.

Your Committees further find that while many of the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan recommendations are no-cost actions that are being taken internally to improve efficiency and increase collaboration, the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan does identify key capacity and infrastructure gaps that need to be addressed in order for Hawaii to be effectively protected from the impacts of invasive species. These infrastructure and capacity gaps can be ameliorated with this measure's creation of the invasive species rapid response special fund and appropriations.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Increasing the appropriation amount for fiscal year 2020-2021 for the Department of Agriculture's four new Plant Quarantine Branch positions from $103,908 to $150,000;

(2) Removing the exemption from the Hawaii Public Procurement Code for expenditures from the invasive species rapid response special fund upon declaration of an invasive species emergency, as the exemption authority is already allowed under section 127A-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes; 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 Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 523, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 523, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land,

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair