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Invasive-species bills expose gaps in inspection capacity; committee rolls SB 2760 to give Department time to revise testimony
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Summary
During a joint Senate hearing Feb. 11, legislators pressed the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity on limited inspection capacity for nonagricultural imports and asked the department to resubmit testimony; decision-making on SB 2760 was rolled to Feb. 13 for further agency revision.
Senators and agency officials debated invasive-species enforcement and inspection capacity at a Feb. 11 joint hearing of the Hawaii State Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection and Agriculture/Energy/Natural Resources committees.
Patrick Chi of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB) supported SB 2760, which would expand DAB's authority to inspect and administratively quarantine items infested with pests, clarify liability for economic loss, and extend the effective period for interim rules to two years. Stephanie Easley of the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) said the bill continues a post-2024/2025 transformation of the department and urged a pathway-based approach modeled on New Zealand.
Legislators probed DAB operations and enforcement. Jonathan Ho (plant quarantine branch manager) acknowledged constrained inspection capacity, estimating that staff inspect "maybe 15%" of sea-vessel shipping containers, and said the agency relies on importers to find treatment applicators rather than treating shipments itself: "We're not in the treatment business." The chair sharply criticized the department's interpretation of the statute, saying the department appears to have been "misreading its own mandate under the law" and asked DAB to resubmit testimony and propose amendments that reflect current capacity and statutory discretion.
Senators compared Hawaii's approach to New Zealand and Australia and discussed privatized transitional-facility inspection schemes. Jonathan Ho described New Zealand's model of using a large network of private inspectors and transitional facilities to assess commodity risk and target inspections. Committee leadership decided to roll decision-making on SB 2760 to Feb. 13 (and to additional CPN consideration Feb. 17) so DAB can revise its testimony and examine implementation details, including resource and staffing needs.
SB 2048, a related measure that would prohibit the sale, barter or donation of pest-infested items and impose civil penalties, received broad support from DLNR, DAB, CGAPS and the Oahu Invasive Species Committee and the committee recommended it to pass with DAB's suggested amendments.
Next steps: DAB was asked explicitly to resubmit corrected testimony and propose amendments that account for inspection capacity; SB 2760 will be revisited on Feb. 13 in Room 224 for further action.
