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Biosecurity overhaul sees broad stakeholder concerns; committee defers decision to next meeting
Summary
S.B.1100 generated extensive stakeholder testimony on moving the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and on data governance, quarantine authority, and administrative-rule procedures; the committee deferred decision to a later agenda to allow additional work on language.
S.B.1100 (S.T.2, H.D.1), a comprehensive biosecurity measure, drew extended testimony from invasive-species experts, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, coordinating organizations and research labs, who flagged concerns about statutory placement of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC), data-governance and dashboard provisions, and removal of quarantine authority in certain drafts.
Several witnesses asked the committee to revise language that would move responsibilities currently prescribed in the HISC statute under chapter 194. The Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) witness Stephanie Easley urged replacing a broad “state” oversight phrase with a narrower reference to the Department of Agriculture’s deputy so the HISC statute would not be inadvertently subsumed under another department’s deputy. The CGAPS testimony also noted administrative-rule and chapter references that, if removed, would leave unclear authority to implement chapter 72 rule amendments and to carry out quarantine-like actions. The Oahu Invasive Species Committee requested clarification of the proposed invasive-species data dashboard and noted that some classes of data are protected and that data-sharing agreements with the University and partners may be necessary. The Hawaii Ant Lab and Hawaii Invasive Species Council filed comments asking that HISC remain under DLNR administration and that administrative authorities be preserved.
Why it matters: the bill would reorganize biosecurity governance and data-sharing structures statewide, affecting how agencies coordinate on quarantine, invasive-species response, and project funding; stakeholders warned that broad transfers of authority could disrupt existing programs and weaken data protections or operational authorities.
Committee action: the chair said the committee intends to pass the bill but deferred the final decision so staff can reconcile edits and stakeholder concerns; the matter was rescheduled for the next day’s agenda (tomorrow at 2 p.m.). The committee asked departments and stakeholder groups to provide suggested technical fixes and to coordinate on the HISC placement and dashboard governance language.
Follow-ups requested: witnesses were asked to provide line-language proposals to (1) preserve HISC’s statutory placement and operations unless explicitly agreed upon, (2) clarify the invasive-species dashboard’s data-governance and funding rules, and (3) restore quarantine authority where appropriate. The committee noted it will take up refinements at the next meeting.
