STAND. COM. REP. NO. 291

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 744

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 744 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 require the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to classify coffee leaf rust as an invasive species in its administrative rules to direct available funding for mitigation efforts, research, and prevention or control actions for coffee leaf rust.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Kanalani Ohana Farm, Hawaii Coffee Growers Association, Kona Coffee Farmers Association, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and three individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that coffee leaf rust represents a real and direct threat to the future of coffee production in Hawaii. Since its discovery on Maui in late 2020, coffee leaf rust has been responsible for the decimation of at least fifty percent of coffee crops on most farms on Hawaii island and has had a substantial economic impact on coffee farms across the State. Your Committee additionally finds that the Hawaii Invasive Species Council was established in 2003, is administered through the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and includes other state departments as members. This measure requires the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to classify coffee leaf rust as an invasive species in its administrative rules to make funding available for the mitigation, research, and prevention actions for coffee leaf rust.

Your Committee acknowledges a statement made in testimony by the Department of Agriculture, in which it declares that it has sufficient authority to act and respond to coffee leaf rust issues in the State. The Department, however, does not currently have the funds to support the mitigatory efforts, research, and prevention or control actions that the spread of coffee leaf rust requires and instead is limited to merely maintaining existing restrictions on the importation of coffee into the State and funding of the Pesticides Subsidy Program to combat coffee leaf rust and other coffee plant diseases. Alternatively, the Department of Agriculture proposes an appropriation of $200,000 to maximize the utilization of departmental capabilities to sufficiently address, prevent, control, and research coffee leaf rust.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 744 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair