STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2794

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2775

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Establish fees for the review and processing of permits and other requests for the importation or possession of plants, animals, or microorganisms into the State in order to provide stable funding for the Department of Agriculture's permit specialists and additional resources to allow appropriate review of import requests and more timely processing of permits and related authorizations; and

 

     (2)  Repeal the permit revolving fund.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one state department, one university entity, and three private entities.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     The safe introduction of plants, non-domestic animals (such as fish, birds, amphibians, and insects), microorganisms, (such as algae, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses), and soil is managed by the Department of Agriculture.  The Department charges user fees for the processing and issuance of permits, as well as for issuance of a letter of authorization for certain types of microorganisms or the registration of microbial products.

 

     Your Committee finds that this measure expands the assessment of a user fee to include plants as well as any request for a permit for plants, animals, or microorganisms that require a rule change or a change in the listing of an organism for importation or possession.  The fees under this measure will provide additional funding to support the Department in evaluating import requests based upon available information on the organism, its intended use, and the existence of adequate safeguards and protocols to prevent escape or theft of the allowed species.  The fees will be deposited into the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund rather than the pest revolving fund.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Making clarifying amendments to this measure on the recommendation of the Department, including the inclusion of soil analysis and transfers within the State;

 

(2)  Adding a transition provision relating to deposit of fees into the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund, on the recommendation of the Department; and

 

(3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair