Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Committee Advances Dog‑breeder Measure but Strips Registry, Hoarding and Penalty Provisions
Summary
The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee voted to pass SB 2710 with amendments that remove the proposed animal abuser registry, hoarding provisions, and enhanced criminal penalties; the bill retains licensing and standards for high‑volume breeders and defects its effective date to July 1, 2050.
The Hawaii State Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee on Feb. 18 advanced SB 2710, a bill that would set thresholds and minimum care standards for dog breeders, but the committee adopted amendments that remove several contested provisions.
The office of the public defender testified in opposition, arguing the state should improve enforcement of existing laws and fund education and rehabilitation rather than raise criminal penalties. “Increasing the penalty for an offense does not deter the prohibited conduct,” the public defender's representative told the committee, adding that exposing violators to “up to 20 years of imprisonment will not deter others” (public defender testimony).
The Hawaiian Humane Society supported measures to require registration and transparency for high‑volume breeders. Stephanie Kendrick said the bill “only applies if you have more than 10 intact dogs and breed more than 3 litters a year,” and described an animal abuser registry as a tool to give law enforcement more transparency on animal crimes (Stephanie Kendrick, Hawaiian Humane Society).
The American Kennel Club urged targeted, outcome‑based standards rather than numeric caps, warning some provisions could penalize responsible breeders.
After testimony, the committee amended SB 2710 to blank the license fee amount, delete the proposed licensing and the animal abuser registration provisions, strike the animal hoarding section, remove the requirement that shelters, pet stores, and breeders check the registry, and remove the proposed criminal penalty changes. The committee also made technical, non‑substantive edits and defected the bill’s effective date to July 1, 2050. The committee recorded the chair’s and vice chair’s aye votes and adopted the recommendation to pass with amendments.
The committee’s changes shift SB 2710 away from new criminal and registry mechanisms and toward a narrower package of breeder licensing and minimum care standards for higher‑volume operations. The bill will proceed to subsequent committees with the amended language and the defective effective date.
What happens next: The committee report will accompany the amended bill as it moves to Ways and Means and other committees, with the defective effective date preserved.
