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Committee advances hunting‑welfare bill with amendments that limit scope to public lands and intentional cruelty
Summary
Lawmakers advanced SB 3043 to require DLNR rulemaking on humane hunting and hunting‑dog welfare but amended the language to clarify that enforcement applies to public lands and targets intentional acts of cruelty, after heated testimony from humane‑society groups and hunters.
The joint committees voted to advance SB 3043 after hearing competing testimony from animal‑welfare organizations and hunters concerned about cultural practices and subsistence use.
Nicholas Vargas (DLNR) said the department can regulate lawful take and adopt rules for public lands but cannot easily regulate subjective ethical judgments. Stephanie Kendrick of the Hawaiian Humane Society and Lindsay Verheilig of the Animal Legal Defense Fund urged the committee to adopt definitions and prohibitions (including rules on training dogs to attack and standards for dispatch) that address documented cruelty and community safety. Several hunters, including Clayton Kubo and Abraham Antonio Sr., testified in opposition or urged deferral, citing tradition and possible impacts on subsistence and gathering rights.
The committees amended the bill to make clear DLNR’s purview is public lands and that the bill targets intentional, knowing acts of torture or prolonged suffering — not routine, permitted hunting — and advanced the measure for further work. Multiple senators said they would vote with reservations to ensure neighbor‑island hunting traditions and access are preserved.
