Bill Text: HI SR15 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Agriculture And Hawaii Tourism Authority To Report To The Legislature On The Processing Of State Of Hawaii Plant And Animal Declaration Forms, Including The Costs Involved, And Convene A Task Force To Review The Efficacy Of Such Forms.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-1)

Status: (Passed) 2019-04-12 - Report and Resolution Adopted. [SR15 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-SR15-Amended.html

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

15

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY TO REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON THE PROCESSING OF STATE OF HAWAII PLANT AND ANIMAL DECLARATION FORMS, INCLUDING THE COSTS INVOLVED, AND CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO REVIEW THE EFFICACY OF SUCH FORMS.

 

 


     WHEREAS, section 150A-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires all passengers upon arrival to Hawaii to complete a State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration form; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration form requires information on the importation of plants and animals, and requests statistical information on visitors and residents; and

 

     WHEREAS, inspections of passengers' bags for possible importation of plants and animals into Hawaii are conducted upon the passengers' arrival in Hawaii from the mainland and international locations; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration form and amnesty bins at the airports are among the multiple means by which the Department of Agriculture regulates the importation of plants and animals into Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine Branch inspects regulated commodities at all ports of entry into Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, without enhanced enforcement of importation restrictions, passengers could be knowingly or unknowingly importing prohibited plants and animals that pose a threat to Hawaii's delicate ecosystem; and

 

     WHEREAS, information collected from the State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration form is reportedly processed and used by the Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and this body finds that more detailed information on the processing and use of data collected may present opportunities to glean additional insights or increase the cost-effectiveness of the process; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Tourism Authority are requested to submit a report on the processing of the State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration form to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report include:

 

     (1)  A description of the use of information obtained from the forms;

 

     (2)  The costs associated with the forms, including but not limited to costs for printing, processing, and distributing the forms and personnel costs for processing information obtained through the forms;

 

     (3)  The number of staff assigned to review the forms;

 

     (4)  The method by which the forms are disposed;

 

     (5)  How often forms require a follow-up;

 

     (6)  The effectiveness of the forms;

 

     (7)  The level of compliance by passengers and carriers;

 

     (8)  The number of penalties, if any, imposed for failure to complete the form; and

 

     (9)  Whether the Department of Agriculture or Hawaii Tourism Authority has considered an alternative to the forms; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, is requested to convene a task force to review the efficacy of the State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration forms; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in addition to one representative each from the Department of Agriculture and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture is requested to include the additional following members of the task force:

 

     (1)  One representative of the Department of Transportation;

 

     (2)  One representative of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;

 

     (3)  One representative of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources;

 

     (4)  One representative of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council;

 

     (5)  One representative of the Sierra Club of Hawaii;

 

     (6)  One representative of the Airlines Committee of Hawaii; and

 

     (7)  One representative of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 142; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to review:

 

     (1)  The relevance and usefulness of the State of Hawaii plant and animal declaration forms;

 

     (2)  Possible improvements that may be made to the forms; and

 

     (3)  Ways in which the enforcement of passengers' completion of the forms may be increased; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; Director of Transportation; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources; Department of Land and Natural Resources Invasive Species Coordinator; Chair of the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club of Hawaii; Chair of the Airlines Committee of Hawaii; and President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 142.

 

 

 

Report Title: 

Department of Agriculture; Hawaii Tourism Authority; Declaration Form; Processing; Task Force

 

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