STAND. COM. REP. NO.173

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 1280

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1280 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MAUI INVASIVE SPECIES COMMITTEE ACTION PLAN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to implement the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) action plan.

The Department of Land & Natural Resources, MISC, O'ahu Invasive Species Committee, Life of the Land, The Nature Conservancy, Hawaii Audubon Society, the Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii, four Maui councilmembers, and an individual submitted testimony supporting this bill.

Your Committee finds that invasive species pose a serious threat to Hawaii's ecosystems, and the work of MISC and invasive species committees on the other islands is essential in combating this threat. The proposed appropriation will leverage federal matching funds for this effort.

Your Committee finds statewide needs for rapid-response actions by the invasive species committees amount to $2,000,000, with approximately $1,000,000 to eradicate and control miconia and $500,000 to eradicate Caribbean frog colonies exploding across the Big Island and Maui. The Administration has submitted only $400,000 budget request (LNR 402) to provide seed money for all of the invasive species committees, as well as building up its own internal capacity for rapid response for invasive species. Unfortunately, due to the limiting nature of the bill's title, only Maui's request is reflected in the bill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by deleting language that was unduly confusing.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1280, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1280, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection,

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair