Joint committees pass resolution urging increased federal, county support for invasive‑species work with amendments

The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment and the House Committee on Higher Education on April 14 passed HCR 130 HD1 with amendments that emphasize urging counties and Congress — rather than the state alone — to provide increased and sustained funding to island invasive‑species committees and the Hawaii Ant Lab.

The resolution, which is nonbinding, passed after testimony from state and island invasive‑species organizations and members of the public who described limited, unstable funding and urged longer‑term support. Cedric Gates of the Department of Agriculture said the Department "stands on its written testimony, offering comments and supporting the intent." Stephanie Easley of the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) told the committees, "The island based invasive species committees get so much done with so few dollars."

Testimony and discussion

Shaya Honovar, director of the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said the university supports HCR 130 HD1 and was available for questions. Several island invasive‑species committees and researchers also registered support, including representatives from the Hawaii Ant Lab, Maui Invasive Species, the Big Island Invasive Species Committee and the Oahu Invasive Species Committee.

Nate Duby, manager of the Oahu Invasive Species Committee, described ongoing field work and resource limits. He said the Oahu committee and partners led a regional eradication effort in Lanikai that lasted about 11 months and covered more than 85 properties, and that some longtime programs (for example, Miconia control) rely on sustained effort that is not visible when successful. He said the three top statewide priority pests are the little fire ant, coqui frog and coconut rhinoceros beetle, and that the committees need personnel and money for treatment chemicals and equipment.

Angela Melody Young, testifying for CARES, proposed adding language to the resolution to direct future legislation to include specific statutory or program language that would improve grant applications for federal funding. She argued that aligning state and county ordinances, university project descriptions and Biosecurity Act timing with federal grant requirements could help secure federal funds.

Department of Agriculture position and context

Cedric Gates said DOA supports the intent of the resolution and described existing funding pathways: competitive grants through the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC), an MOU for invasive species management between the University of Hawaii, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and DOA, and recent and proposed legislative measures including HB 427 that the department said will make positions permanent and build plant quarantine and plant pest control capacity. Gates said the department is reviewing a proposal to help combat the coconut rhinoceros beetle on the Windward side and expects to provide funding through that agreement.

Amendments and formal action

Chair Kim moved technical and substantive amendments to the resolution to make it more actionable and to broaden the entities urged to provide resources. In committee discussion the chair recommended replacing references to the "state" with "Congress" in the title and in the resolved clauses and adding language that urges counties and federal partners to seek federal grants to support invasive‑species work. After the amendments were offered, both committees voted to pass HCR 130 HD1 as amended.

Votes at a glance

- Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment (AEN): Chair Kim — aye; Vice chair — aye; Senator Rhoads — aye; Senators DeCoite and Aawa — excused. Motion adopted (3 in favor). - House Committee on Higher Education (HRE): Chair — aye; Vice chair — aye; Senator Fukimoda — aye; Senator Hashimoto — aye; Senator Fevella — aye. Motion adopted.

What the resolution does and next steps

The committees noted that the resolution is a statement of support rather than a funding vehicle. Witnesses and committee members repeatedly discussed that HISC funding is a competitive grant mechanism and that many island invasive‑species committees are largely soft‑funded, limiting planning horizons. Committee testimony and speakers identified HB 427 and other introduced bills (including SB 1100) as the legislative vehicles that would allocate funding; the resolution asks counties and Congress to increase and help secure funding but does not itself appropriate funds.

Materials and reporting

Witnesses said annual and project reports for HISC‑funded work are available on the HISC website and that individual ISC grantees can supply detailed reports and benchmarks. Several witnesses said they are pursuing grant writers and are coordinating with DLNR, the university and DOA under an existing MOU.

The committees took a brief recess after the vote and closed the 1:45 p.m. agenda item.