STAND. COM. REP. NO. 592

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1387

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1387 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MICROCHIP IDENTIFICATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require dog and cat owners to microchip their pets, if the pets are not licensed.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Poi Dogs & Popoki, American Bird Conservancy, Hawaii Association of Animal Welfare Agencies, and three individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Neighborhood Cats, The Libertarian Party of Hawaii, Best Friends Animal Society, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that microchip identification is the single most effective way of returning lost pets to their owners. A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and, once implanted beneath the pet's skin between the shoulders, it can be scanned and then used to find the owner's contact information in a registry. Found pets can be taken to a veterinary office, rescue organization or shelter, or even a pet store to have the pet checked for a microchip. Your Committee further finds that microchip identification can efficiently reunite lost pets with their owners and simultaneously minimize the adverse effects of lost and stray animals on communities and wildlife.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the requirement that animal control contractors activate the found pet alert only applies if the pet is found and the owner is not present;

(2) Placing the definitions of "microchip" or "microchip identification" and "owner" into the new statutory section;

(3) Requiring licensing and microchips for dogs, but only microchips for cats;

(4) Inserting an effective date of May 6, 2137, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1387, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1387, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair