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AEN committee advances seven agriculture bills, passing each with amendments
Summary
A state agriculture and environment committee on March 23 advanced seven bills — spanning conservation pilots, climate-resilient food grants, a clean-plant program, fruit‑fly suppression funding, loan-portfolio authority and livestock-dog penalties — approving each with amendments and unanimous support from members present.
The Agriculture and Environment committee convened March 23 in Room 224 and advanced seven agriculture-related bills, voting to pass each with amendments and the four members present voting in favor.
The measures included HB1953, a two‑year conservation and agricultural environmental stewardship pilot within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB); HB2548, which would establish a Climate Resilient Food Systems Grant Program; HB2246, a DAB-administered ag grant program and revolving fund; HB2549, a clean‑plant program for disease‑free plant material; HB2551, funding for an area‑wide fruit‑fly suppression program; HB2216, authorizing DAB to package and sell part of its agricultural loan portfolio; and HB2152, which increases owner liability and penalties for dog attacks on livestock within Ag Districts.
Chair Richards recommended passage of each bill with technical or substantive amendments, including amendments to revise effective dates for several measures. Roll-call votes recorded the chair and vice chair voting aye, and senators Rhodes and Awa also voting aye; Senator DeCoite was excused. Committee members recorded support tallies submitted online for earlier testimony; for example, HB1953 had 37 in support, HB2548 had 31, and HB2551 reported nine in support with one comment.
Supporters and DAB witnesses described how the bills would operate in practice. Amanda Shaw of Agriculture Stewardship Hawaii told the committee HB1953 would help farmers “protect waterways, establishing native species on their farms” and provide locally adapted conservation practices following recent flooding. Sharon Hurd of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity told members HB2246 would create a fund to capture a portion of negotiated indirect cost recovery (NICRA) from awarded grants—NICRA was cited in testimony at 12.5%—and that the department proposes directing half of those indirect‑cost recoveries into a special fund to be used as local match and to expand capacity to pursue competitive grants.
On HB2549, DAB said an earlier five‑station tissue‑culture plan had been estimated at $1.7 million; the department said a scaled request for three stations would cost about $750,000. For HB2551, DAB described past collaborations providing sterile insects to mitigate outbreaks elsewhere and said the department’s current request was $1.7 million for initial work but acknowledged a larger, statewide suppression program could require substantially more funding; the department committed to provide follow‑up details to members.
HB2152 incorporates language suggested by the Hawaiian Humane Society to clarify judicial surrender and euthanasia procedures when a dog is found to have caused the loss of or damage to livestock; the Humane Society representative submitted written testimony but was not present on Zoom. Stakeholders including the Hawaii Sheep and Goat Association were available for questions and offered technical clarifications about the draft language.
The committee concluded its 3:00 PM agenda after the roll‑call votes; all measures on the docket passed with amendments and will move forward as directed by committee procedure.
