STAND. COM. REP. NO. 851-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2803
                                     H.D. 2




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No.
2803, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PLANT AND NON-DOMESTIC ANIMAL
     QUARANTINE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to facilitate the importation of
microorganisms for research and commercial purposes while
maintaining safe quarantine regulations by:

     (1)  Creating separate statutory sections for the
          importation of plants, animals, and microorganisms to
          better reflect the different requirements appropriate
          for each category;

    (2)   Authorizing the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to
          determine the risk level for unlisted microorganism
          requests; and

    (3)   Authorizing the DOA to issue an emergency permit for
          the importation of listed and unlisted microorganisms.

     The University of Hawaii's (UH) College of Tropical
Agriculture and Human Resources, the Hawaii Technology Trade
Association, the Hawaii Biotechnology Group, Inc., and the Hawaii
Agriculture Research Center testified in support of this bill.
The Department of Agriculture also testified in support of this
bill with a proposed amendment.  The UH's Department of

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 851-00
                                 Page 2

 
Microbiology and the American Society of Microbiology, Hawaii
Branch, offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Deleting the provision to repeal Part V of chapter
          150A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to certified
          importers of microorganisms; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the
          purpose of clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
2803, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2803, H.D.
2.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Finance,



                                   ______________________________
                                   DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair