STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1188-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2079

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 S.B. No. 2079 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE IMPORTATION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow the State of Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form to be distributed, completed, and transmitted electronically.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Agriculture; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State of Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form provides an opportunity for travelers to the State to declare items that may be harboring harmful pests so that they may be intercepted and inspected for pests and other prohibited items. Your Committee further finds that an electronic version of this form may be more efficiently distributed, completed, and transmitted, thereby encouraging compliance and more accurate reporting of items for inspection and resulting in greater biosecurity.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the defacing of any declaration form, regardless of whether it is paper or electronic, shall constitute a violation;

(2) Clarifying the timing of submission for paper and electronic forms;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 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 S.B. No. 2079, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2079, 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