STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2493
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2713
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. 2713 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PESTICIDE BUFFER ZONES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to, beginning January 1, 2027, prohibit the application of restricted use pesticides within a half-mile radius of elderly health care facilities, with exemptions for whole structure fumigation and invasive species control.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action, Hawaiʻi Food+ Policy, and three individuals.
Your Committee received testimony in
opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Pest Control Association; Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau; Western Wood Preservers
Institute and Treated Wood Council; Sugarland Farms, Inc.; CropLife America;
and Hawaii Crop Improvement Association.
Your Committee
received comments on this measure from the
Department of Health, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of
Agriculture and Biosecurity, and one individual.
Your Committee finds that pesticide drift can occur when aerosolized chemical pesticides travel to adjacent areas after its application, which has been linked to potential negative health outcomes. In fact, chronic exposure to pesticidal toxins has been connected to cancer, Parkinson's disease, and dementia. Your Committee further finds that seniors and older adults are particularly vulnerable to pesticide drift. Therefore, this measure would establish protections for sensitive communities.
Your Committee acknowledges the concerns raised in testimony by the Department of Health that restricted use pesticides are necessary for the operations of its Vector Control Branch. Your Committee further acknowledges the concerns raised in testimony by the Western Wood Preservers Institute and Treated Wood Council that the application of wood preservative pesticides is required by Hawaii State Building Code. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to address these concerns.
Accordingly, your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Exempting the Department of Health from the restricted use pesticides one-half mile buffer zone requirement;
(3) Updating section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments 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. 2713, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2713, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,
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________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair |
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