Bill Text: HI HB2775 | 2010 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Department of Agriculture; Plants; Animals; Microorganisms; Fee
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2010-06-23 - (S) Act 172, 6/23/2010 (Gov. Msg. No. 632). [HB2775 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2010-HB2775-Amended.html
STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3021
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 2775
H.D. 2
S.D. 2
Honorable Colleen Hanabusa
President of the Senate
Twenty-Fifth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2010
State of Hawaii
Madam:
Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to establish fees to be charged by the Department of Agriculture for the processing of permits, letters of authorization, and registration application to allow the introduction of plants, animals, and microorganisms into the State.
Additionally, this measure:
(1) Provides for the deposit of those fees into the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund to be used to fund the Department of Agriculture's review and permitting process and related activities; and
(2) Repeals the permit revolving fund and transfers all funds and unpaid obligations to the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund.
Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, and the Nature Conservancy. The written comments may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.
Your Committee finds that the Department of Agriculture's inspection and permit sections have an important role in preventing the spread of invasive species into the State's fragile ecosystem.
Your Committee further finds that the Department of Agriculture has only one permit specialist in each of the fields under which the Department issues permits, including those for plants, insects, land vertebrae, aquatic biota, and microorganisms. Due to the State's budget deficit, the Department of Agriculture was forced to reduce the size of the inspection and permit sections. In particular, the Department reduced the plant inspection section by twenty-two inspectors. As a result, all the Departments permit specialists are now required to conduct inspections, as well as perform their permitting duties.
Your Committee believes that by providing the Department with a dedicated funding source to support the permit and inspection sections, the Department will have sufficient resources to continue to protect the State from potential ecological dangers.
Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying the provision that transfers the funds and unpaid obligations of the permit revolving fund to the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2775, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,
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____________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair |
