STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2494

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2100

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2100 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PESTICIDES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require quarterly rather than annual reporting of all use of restricted use pesticides;

(2) Amend the contents of reports to include specific geospatial data and information and increased detail on the amount of restricted use pesticides used;

(3) Exempt wood preservative pesticides from reporting requirements; and

(4) Require the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to develop an online reporting tool for restricted use pesticides.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United, Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action, Green Party of Hawaiʻi, HANAI HIVES, Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy, and twenty-seven individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Hawaii Pest Control Association; Sugarland Farms, Inc.; Bowman Termite and Pest Management, LLC; Hawaii Crop Improvement Association; CropLife America; and three individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that pesticide exposure can significantly impact public health and the environment, including harm to surrounding communities, farm workers, pollinators, the environment, and other crops. Currently, reporting requirements for pesticide usage include the disclosure of the address, tax map key, and location of the application site, but do not require specific geospatial data that could provide comprehensive mapping of pesticide impacts. By modernizing and increasing the frequency of pesticide reporting mechanisms, this measure will foster greater collaboration between policymakers, farmers, and scientists to develop agricultural best practices while addressing community concerns about pesticide use.

Your Committee acknowledges the concerns raised in testimony by the Department of Health that the reporting requirements established in this measure could impede the Vector Control Branch of the Department of Health to manage vector-borne diseases and potential conflicts with patient confidentiality laws. Therefore, amendments to the measure are necessary to address these concerns.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Exempting the Department of Health from the quarterly reporting requirements for users of restricted use pesticides;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Your Committee notes that this measure, as amended, does not contain an appropriation. Should your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that they consider the appropriation request provided in the testimony from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity including:

(1) $1,312,464 per year for additional staffing to process and conduct reviews of the increased number of reports contemplated by this measure; and

(2) $377,760 per year for additional staffing for the education and outreach for the new geospatial data requirements.

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. 2100, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2100, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair