SUPPORT HB299 HD1: HISC Invasive Species Funding

February 22 update

HB299 HD1, which seeks to provide an unspecified boost in funding for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, is being heard on Monday, February 24 at 2pm, room 308, in the House Finance Committee (watch online here). Please submit testimony as soon as can to support this critically important measure!

Sample testimony for HB299 HD1

Aloha Chair Yamashita, Vice Chair Takenouchi, and members of the Finance Committee, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB299 HD1, which appropriates funds for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its partners, including the island Invasive Species Committees.

HISC and its partners are an indispensable part of our biosecurity framework, utilizing specialized expertise, research, field knowledge, interagency collaboration, and well-established community partnerships to help hold the line against invasive pests and their potentially devastating impacts. With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds - ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants - HISC and its partners have proven their effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. 

Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of harm and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

Much greater funding for HISC would allow it and its partners to double down on their vital work, as one of the few effective but under-resourced strategies we have in our existing biosecurity toolbox. 

I urge you to PASS HB299 HD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB299" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   1. Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

   If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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February 13 update

HB299 HD1 was passed out of the House Agriculture and Food Systems Committee unamended. Mahalo nui to the more than 32 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and a special thanks to Chair Kahaloa for advancing this measure!

SB548, the companion of HB299, was passed out of the Senate Committees on Water & Land and Agriculture & Environment. Mahalo nui to the more than 27 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and special thanks to Chairs Inouye and Gabbard for advancing this measure!

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February 10 update

HB299 HD1, which seeks to provide an unspecified boost in funding for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, has its next hearing in the House Committee on Agriculture and Food Systems on Wednesday, February 12 at 9:30am in room 325 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of HB299 HD1, reinforcing the importance of HISC’s essential work in protecting Hawaiʻi from invasive pests! Sample testimony and instructions below. 

Sample testimony for HB299 HD1

Aloha Chair Kahaloa, Vice Chair Kusch, and members of the House Agriculture & Food Systems Committee, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB299 HD1, which appropriates funds for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its partners, including the island Invasive Species Committees.

HISC and its partners are an indispensable part of our biosecurity framework, utilizing specialized expertise, research, field knowledge, interagency collaboration, and well-established community partnerships to help hold the line against invasive pests and their potentially devastating impacts. With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds - ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants - HISC and its partners have proven their effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. 

Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of harm and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

Much greater funding for HISC would allow it and its partners to double down on their vital work, as one of the few effective but under-resourced strategies we have in our existing biosecurity toolbox. 

I urge you to PASS HB299 HD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

SB548, the companion to HB299, also has a hearing in the Senate Committees on Water & Land and Agriculture & Environment on Wednesday, February 12 at 1:05pm in room 229 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of SB548 to support funding for HISC and its island committees. Sample testimony and instructions below. 

Sample testimony for SB548

Aloha Chairs Inouye and Gabbard, Vice Chairs Elefante and Richards, and members of the Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment Committees, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB548, which appropriates funds for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its partners, including the island Invasive Species Committees.

HISC and its partners are an indispensable part of our biosecurity framework, utilizing specialized expertise, research, field knowledge, interagency collaboration, and well-established community partnerships to help hold the line against invasive pests and their potentially devastating impacts. With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds - ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants - HISC and its partners have proven their effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. 

Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of harm and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

Much greater funding for HISC would allow it and its partners to double down on their vital work, as one of the few effective but under-resourced strategies we have in our existing biosecurity toolbox. 

I urge you to PASS SB548.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB299/SB548" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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February 3 update

HB299 passed out of the House Committee on Water & Land without the amendments requested by the Sierra Club and our allies to increase funding for HISC. While we're glad to see the bill move forward, we will continue advocating for these amendments as it progresses. Mahalo nui to the more than 49 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and a special thanks to Chair Hashem for advancing this measure.

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HB299 Bill Background

The Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its county-based invasive species committees play a critical and indispensable role in our fight against invasive species. Administratively attached to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, HISC develops plans, funds projects, coordinates cross-agency efforts, and provides critical support for the Big Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committees. These latter county-level committees in turn lead on-the-ground efforts to eradicate and manage pests in our forests, open spaces, and neighborhoods, including through the education, training, and enlistment of community groups and local businesses in our all-hands-on-deck biosecurity efforts. 

Despite extremely limited resources, HISC and its invasive species committees have successfully eradicated dozens of outbreaks of invasive pests throughout the islands - preventing millions of dollars’ worth of damages and the irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. They also continue to work tirelessly to help manage established pests and mitigate the impacts they have on our communities and landscapes.  

The Department of Agriculture, in contrast, continues to demonstrate an inability or unwillingness to fulfill its critical and exclusive regulatory responsibilities, even after receiving “historic” funding last year that remains largely unspent. 

While we continue to push for the Department of Agriculture to embrace its biosecurity role, it is clear that increased funding for HISC and its committees may be the best investment we can make to safeguard our islands and future generations from a pest-infested landscape.

A bill to fund HISC, HB299, is up for a hearing on Thursday, January 30, at 9am in the House Committee on Water & Land (Room 411). Notably, the proposed $4.25M is $1.5M less than what HISC received last year. Please take a moment to submit testimony to SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENTS HB299, urging lawmakers to increase, and not decrease, funding for HISC and its essential work in protecting Hawaiʻi from invasive pests. You can also watch the hearing live here. 

What the bills does

HB299 would appropriate $4.25M each year for the next two years for HISC - $1.5M less than what the legislature provided it last year.

Why is this good but needs amendments 

HB299 recognizes that HISC serves as a critical foundation of our invasive species response, eradication, and management framework, and that there is a substantial need to provide it and its island invasive species committees with more funding to bolster our biosecurity framework. However, it appropriates less funds than was provided to HISC last year.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chair Hashem, Vice-Lamsao, and members of the House Water & Land Committee, 

My name is [Your name] and I SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENTS HB299. 

I strongly agree with the opening section of this bill, regarding the need to increase funding for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and the island Invasive Species Committees that have been the core foundation of our all-hands-on-deck fight to protect our islands and future generations from invasive species. However, this bill appears to provide HISC with far less funds than it received last year - $3M over the next fiscal biennium - in a moment when we clearly need to invest more than ever before in shoring up our biosecurity defenses. Please amend this measure to increase, rather than decrease, the funding that will be provided to HISC.

With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants, HISC and its Committees have proven their great effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of damages and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

With the Department of Agriculture struggling to expend the historic funding it received last year for biosecurity programs, and with no clear Department of Agriculture plan to fulfill its own unique roles in preventing the introduction and spread of invasive pests, it is absolutely critical that we double down in our investments in HISC and its Committees. 

I urge you to PASS HB299 with AMENDMENTS to increase, and not decrease, HISC funding for the next fiscal biennium, sufficient to fully meet its core needs and anticipated programmatic requests.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB299" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

COMMENT ON SB1100: Save the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council

February 6 update

SB1100 was passed out of the Senate Agriculture & Environment, Transportation & Culture & the Arts, and Commerce & Consumer Protection Committees with amendments. These amendments include all of the Agriculture Departments’s suggested amendments for clarity on certain definitions, replacing DLNR with DAB under the new department, and other provisions, except the renaming of private inspector. None of the concerns raised in the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi or allies testimony were addressed.

Over 100 pages of testimony were submitted on this measure and we are incredibly grateful for all that took the time to testify. We will have additional chances to ensure that HISC and its ISCs remain independent of the Department of Agriculture and can continue doing the good work that they do day in and day out. We also want to thank Vice-Chair Fukunaga for her reservations, for the same reasons expressed by our organization.

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SB1100 Bill Background

The Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and the future of Hawaiʻi’s biosecurity need your help! Please testify on SB1100 and ask that the Committees remove provisions placing HISC and other critical biosecurity entities under the Department of Agriculture, to answer to a new deputy of biosecurity.  

HISC and its county-based invasive species committees play a critical and indispensable role in our fight against invasive species. Administratively attached to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, HISC develops plans, funds projects, coordinates cross-agency efforts, and provides critical support for the Big Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committees. These latter county-level committees in turn lead on-the-ground efforts to eradicate and manage pests in our forests, open spaces, and neighborhoods, including through the education, training, and enlistment of community groups and local businesses in our all-hands-on-deck biosecurity efforts. 

Despite extremely limited resources, HISC and its invasive species committees have successfully eradicated dozens of outbreaks of invasive pests throughout the islands - preventing millions of dollars’ worth of damages and the irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. They also continue to work tirelessly to help manage established pests and mitigate the impacts they have on our communities and landscapes.  

The Department of Agriculture, in contrast, continues to demonstrate an inability or unwillingness to fulfill its critical and exclusive regulatory responsibilities, even after receiving “historic” funding last year that remains largely unspent. 

SB1100 has the commendable goal of ensuring the Department of Agriculture finally embraces its unique roles in our biosecurity framework. However, its specific provisions to have an untested Department of Agriculture deputy of biosecurity direct HISC and other entities focused on invasive species eradication and control may severely disrupt or dismantle some of the very few effective invasive species programs we have. This in turn could set us back years if not decades in our fight against invasive pests, leaving our islands ever more vulnerable to their devastating impacts.

A hearing on SB1100 has been scheduled for a hearing on Thursday, February 6, at 9:30 am, before the Senate Agriculture and Environment, Transportation and Culture and the Arts, and Commerce and Consumer Protection Committees (Room 229). Please take a moment to submit comments OPPOSING the transfer of HISC to the Department of Agriculture. You can also watch the hearing live here. 

What the bill does

SB1100 is an omnibus bill that would re-brand the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB), establish a deputy of biosecurity within the department, and place HISC and other programs and entities under DAB. Other provisions would authorize an emergency response program, provide for “transitional facilities” that the DAB director can require imported goods to be stored and inspected at, provide a process for any entity to request a DAB contract for the implementation of a pest management plan, among others.

Why this is good but needs amendments 

SB1100 emphasizes the Department of Agriculture’s long-neglected biosecurity role, establishing a deputy director of biosecurity to focus on fulfilling this role, and providing the renamed DAB with additional biosecurity tools and funds. However, its proposal to place the HISC and other non-DAB programs under the direction of the DAB and its deputy of biosecurity threatens to throw what few effective biosecurity strategies we have in disarray, rendering our islands critically vulnerable to the potentially devastating impacts of invasive pests.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chairs Gabbard, Lee, Keohokālole, Vice Chairs Richards, Inouye, Fukunaga, and members of the Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I am writing today to offer the following COMMENTS on SB1100. I appreciate and support the provisions to emphasize the need for the Department of Agriculture - to be renamed the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity - to embrace the particular and unique role in our overall biosecurity strategy. However, I STRONGLY OPPOSE placing the Department of Agriculture and the new deputy of biosecurity in charge of the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council and other biosecurity programs outside the Department of Agriculture’s current purview.

While I recognize and appreciate this measure’s effort to get the Department of Agriculture to embrace its long-neglected role in biosecurity, I have serious concerns about placing the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and other external programs and projects under the rebranded Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB), as well as the lack of accountability mechanisms for the proposed deputy of biosecurity.

HISC and its county-based invasive species committees (ISCs) play a critical role in stopping invasive pests before they cause lasting damage to our environment, food systems, and communities. HISC coordinates across agencies to research, plan around, engage community, and take action to hold the line and push back against the ever present threat of invasive pests. Despite limited funding, these teams have successfully prevented millions of dollars in damages by responding quickly to outbreaks, leading eradication efforts, and working with community groups to protect our forests, watersheds, and neighborhoods. 

Moving HISC and the ISCs under DAB would be a big mistake with potentially devastating consequences. The Department of Agriculture has struggled for years to meet its existing responsibilities, and even after receiving historic levels of funding last year, much of that money remains unspent. Shifting control of our already successful invasive species programs to an untested structure within DAB could set us back years in the fight against invasive species.

Further, I urge you to consider amendments that will better ensure the department and deputy are held accountable to their responsibilities going forward, such as regular reporting requirements to the Board of Agriculture and the public, deadlines for invasive species action plans with clear benchmarks for actions and outcomes, and initial and biannual confirmation hearings for the appointed deputy of biosecurity.

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (you’ll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB1100" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

SUPPORT SB252 + HB427: Invasive Pest Controls

January 30 update

SB252 was passed with technical amendments by the Senate Committees on Agriculture & Environment and Commerce & Consumer Protections. There were over 57 individual testimonies submitted in support—mahalo nui to everyone that submitted testimony and thank you to Chairs Keohokālole and Gabbard for their leadership on this critical issue.

HB427 was passed with amendments to prevent potential inadvertent impacts to the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council. However, there continues to be a need to ensure any deputy of biosecurity truly embraces their biosecurity responsibilities, given the current Department of Agriculture leadersʻ longstanding failure to do so.

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SB252 & HB427 Bill Background

Invasive species like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle are already disrupting life in Hawaiʻi, harming farms and food production, cultural practices, recreation, public health, local businesses, and our overall quality of life. These and other pests threaten to radically alter Hawaiʻi’s environment and our and future generations’ connection to these islands, if we do not make immediate and transformative shifts in our biosecurity framework.

Two crucial bills that will help us combat the introduction and spread of invasive pests have been scheduled for a hearing this Wednesday, and could use your support!

SB252 would target the importation and sale of infested items, two major pathways for invasive species to be introduced to and spread across our islands. The bill will be heard on Wednesday, January 29, 9:30am by the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Commerce and Consumer Protection in conference room 229. You can also watch the hearing live here.

HB427 would re-brand the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, with additional regulatory authorities relating to imports, quarantines, and emergencies, as well as funding for dozens of full time positions to support its biosecurity functions. The bill will also be heard on Wednesday, January 29, 9:30am by the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems in conference room 325. You can also watch the hearing live here.

Take a moment now to testify on these important bills!

What these bills do

SB252 prohibits the import or sale/donation of pest-infested items, and clarifies the Agriculture Department’s authority and responsibility to enforce these prohibitions through administrative inspections and quarantine orders, among other provisions.

HB427 renames the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB), with a deputy of biosecurity to oversee its biosecurity responsibilities. The DAB would have the authority to subpoena documentation from agricultural commodity importers relating to a known or suspected pest infestation, quarantine farms or businesses known to be infested with an invasive pest or restricted species, and declare a biosecurity emergency under certain conditions to transfer funds or temporarily requisition goods, real property, or watercraft to address the emergency. The bill also includes funding for 44 full time positions to support the DAB’s work.

Why your testimony is needed

As we have already experienced, when infested or infected items are brought into Hawaiʻi or moved between or within islands, pests and diseases can spread rapidly, causing significant harm to crops, native species, public health, local businesses, and our quality of life. We’ve also seen that it can take years or decades for the Department of Agriculture to implement quarantines and other controls, leaving Hawaiʻi dangerously exposed to the devastating threats of invasive pests. Hawaiʻi cannot afford further delays in addressing the growing threat of invasive species to our ‘āina, food security, cultural practices, economy, health, and quality of life.

SB252 goes even further than the recent biosecurity rule amendments that allow for quarantines of infested products upon order by the Department of Agriculture. This bill would automatically prohibit the importation and sale or donation of infested items, without requiring the Department of Agriculture to act. 

HB427 emphasizes the Department of Agriculture’s long-neglected biosecurity role, establishing a deputy director of biosecurity to focus on fulfilling this role, and providing the renamed DAB with additional biosecurity tools and funds for much-needed staff positions. While these changes are generally positive, accountability mechanisms may be needed to ensure the department and its deputy actually take their biosecurity responsibilities seriously.

Sample testimony for SB252

Aloha Chairs Keohokālole and Gabbard, Vice Chairs Fukunaga and Richards, and members of the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Agriculture and Environment,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB252. Invasive species like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle are already causing serious harm to Hawaiʻi’s environment, agriculture, and communities, and we must make major transformative shifts in our biosecurity strategy to mitigate the impacts of these and other invasive pests on our islands and future generations.

This bill will make clear that the import and intrastate sale or gift of invasive species-infested items is prohibited - without requiring the Department of Agriculture to pass rules or issue orders, processes that could take months, years, or decades. It will also remove the Department’s ability to use the lack of inspection or quarantine authorities as an excuse for inaction, as has been the case with the little fire ant, coconut rhinoceros beetle, and too many other known pests.

SB252 is essential to safeguarding our environment, food security, and way of life.

Therefore, I urge you to PASS SB252.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Sample testimony for HB427

Aloha Chair Kahaloa, Vice Chair Kusch, and members of the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems,

My name is [Your name] and I support HB427 with a friendly suggestion for amendments. Invasive species like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle are already causing serious harm to Hawaiʻi’s environment, agriculture, and communities, and we must make major transformative shifts in our biosecurity strategy to mitigate the impacts of these and other invasive pests on our islands and future generations.

Unfortunately, Department of Agriculture leadership has made it abundantly clear that they are unwilling and/or unable to act decisively and proactively in fulfilling their biosecurity responsibilities, and protecting our islands from the devastating impacts of invasive species. Re-naming the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and providing for a new deputy director to focus on the department’s biosecurity functions, may help to emphasize the pressing need for it to do its part in our all-hands-on-deck fight against invasive pests. The additional authorities and funding for staff positions may also remove any excuses the department may have for its past failures to uphold its biosecurity role.

I do urge you to consider amendments that will better ensure the department and deputy are held accountable to their responsibilities going forward, such as regular reporting requirements to the Board of Agriculture and the public, deadlines for invasive species action plans with clear benchmarks for actions and outcomes, and initial and biannual confirmation hearings for the appointed deputy of biosecurity.

Accordingly, I urge you to PASS WITH AMENDMENTS HB427.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB252" or “HB427” where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)