STAND. COM. REP. NO. 41-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1736

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems, to which was referred H.B. No. 1736 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMAL CONTROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Spay and Neuter Special Fund to reduce pet overpopulation, including the free-roaming cat population, and authorizes an income tax designation to provide revenues for the Special Fund;

(2) Require cats over the age of five months to be surgically sterilized and prohibit cats that are not surgically sterilized from being brought into the State, with certain exceptions; and

(3) Appropriate funds into and out of the Spay and Neuter Special Fund to reduce pet overpopulation.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; American Bird Conservancy; Aloha Animal Advocates; Animal Rights Hawaiʻi; Ahahui Mālama i Ka Lōkahi, Hawaiians for the Conservation of Native Ecosystems; Animal Interfaith Alliance in Britain; Hawaiian Humane Society; Hui Hoomalu I ka Aina; Waianae Wags Pet Food Pantry; Animal Legal Defense Fund; Kauaʻi Humane Society; Cat Friends; Nene.org; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Cat Fanciers of Hawaii and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Taxation and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State is experiencing a cat overpopulation crisis that endangers cats, other domestic animals, wildlife, and human communities. Your Committee further finds that one of the most effective strategies to address the cat overpopulation is to encourage the sterilization of pet cats and free-roaming cats. This measure takes an important step in addressing cat overpopulation by requiring the sterilization of cats over a certain age and establishing a Spay and Neuter Special Fund to provide funding to the counties to reduce pet overpopulation.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have required the owner of a cat to provide verifiable proof that the cat has competed in at least one show or sporting competition hosted or staged by a national association to be exempt from the cat sterilization requirement;

(2) Establishing the income tax designation to provide revenues into the Spay and Neuter Special Fund under section 235-102.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which statutorily authorizes other income tax designation options;

(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 H.B. No. 1736, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1736, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

CORY CHUN, Chair