STAND. COM. REP. NO. 439-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2046

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems, to which was referred H.B. No. 2046 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FERAL CHICKEN MANAGEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and counties to collaborate on feral chicken management projects; and

(2) Appropriate funds to establish one full-time equivalent Natural Resources Management Specialist Position related to feral chicken management.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; and three individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Department of Land and Natural Resources; and Hawaiian Humane Society.

Your Committee finds that feral chickens have become a nuisance in the State, especially in suburban and urban communities, where they trespass into yards and gardens, destroy property, damage food crops, and jeopardize native plants. Controlling the population of feral chickens in the State will require concerted action by the State and counties, as animal control is under the jurisdiction of the counties. This measure encourages a collaborative effort across state and county agencies to ensure that the feral chicken population is properly controlled.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider the Department of Agriculture's request of $10,000,000 to plan and design a processing facility where United States Department of Agriculture pre- and post-antemortem inspections can occur. Your Committee also recognizes an alternative option of using existing processing facilities for the purposes of processing feral chickens, which could be more cost-effective for the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2046, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2046, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems,

____________________________

CEDRIC ASUEGA GATES, Chair