STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2492

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2333

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. 2333 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NEONICOTINOIDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Beginning January 1, 2027, prohibit the sale, possession, or use of a pesticide containing one or more neonicotinoid pesticides, under certain conditions; and

(2) Require the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to evaluate the potential impacts of and adopt any necessary control measures for neonicotinoid pesticide use on pollinating insects, native migratory and resident birds, aquatic organisms, and human health.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action and American Bird Conservancy.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Pest Control Association and Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Department of Land and Natural Resources, American Seed Trade Association, and Summit Policy.

Your Committee finds that neonicotinoid insecticides are neurotoxic insecticides that permanently bind to insect nerve cells, overstimulating and destroying them. Growing scientific evidence shows that neonicotinoid pesticides have destructive impacts on pollinator populations, killing bees, butterflies, and birds, and pose a serious threat to food systems, ecosystems, and public health. By prohibiting pesticides with neonicotinoids and requiring further research regarding their potential impact, this measure seeks to prevent harm to local communities and ecosystems.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Exempting the sale, distribution, possession, or use of seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides from the neonicotinoid pesticides prohibition;

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

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

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. 2333, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2333, 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,

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair