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Protecting Hawai’i for Future Generations
Our mission is to safeguard Hawai‘i’s agriculture and natural environment from invasive species by tightening biosecurity to reduce the risk of invasive species entering the State and effectively responding to new and established pests
Governor Josh Green, M.D., has signed several bills that will strengthen the state’s resilience against biosecurity threats and protect against invasive species, pests and diseases, and that support Hawai‘i agriculture.
The Governor signed into law Act 236 on June 27, which among other provisions, renames the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture to the Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity (DAB) and the Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture to the Board of Agriculture & Biosecurity (BAB).
The name changes became effective July 1 and the transition to the printing and utilization of the new moniker will be an ongoing process for various department operations.
Governor Green also approved the State Budget (Act 250) on June 30, which includes an unprecedented $26.6 million appropriation and 44 new positions to DAB for biosecurity.
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I cannot express how appreciative we are for the support that the department has received from legislators and the Governor,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of BAB. “Our main focus now is to transform this funding and legislative support into comprehensive and effective programs to protect Hawai‘i from invasive species and grow our agricultural industry.
Protecting Hawaii’s natural resources and agricultural heritage is a top priority for our state,” Green said. “This record level of funding reflects our commitment to safeguarding our environment and ensuring the sustainability of our agriculture industry for future generations while also ensuring the responsible use of state funds.
Pest Dashboard
To keep the public informed, a pest dashboard is to be established with regularly updated treatment data with which departments, agencies, political subdivisions, or contracted parties that fail to provide information to the dashboard will be subject to the withholding of funds or denial of fund expenditures.
Lastly, HB 427 transfers the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council from the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.