STAND. COM. REP. NO. 450

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 577

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems, to which was referred H.B. No. 577 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii Invasive Species Council for population control and eradication of rose ringed parakeets across the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Animal Rights Hawai‘i. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that rose ringed parakeets are an invasive species that cause damage to food crops and harm native ecosystems. Due to the adaptability and resilience of this species, your Committee further finds that additional management tools need to be evaluated and a more comprehensive strategy needs to be developed to address the rose ringed parakeet invasive species. Accordingly, your Committee believes a task force to develop solutions to address this invasive species should be convened.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing a Rose Ringed Parakeet Interagency Task Force within the Department of Agriculture for administrative purposes to:

(A) Develop short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to address the rose ringed parakeet proliferation across the State; and

(B) Submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2024;

(2) Deleting a redundant appropriation to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council for the population control and eradication of rose ringed parakeets across the State;

(3) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

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. 577, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 577, 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