Hawaii governor signs new agriculture, biosecurity legislation

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed new legislation Friday to protect local farmers, ranchers, and agriculture, while also enhancing the state’s biosecurity.

One of the bills signed is Senate Bill 1249, Act 235, also known as Duke’s Law.

It is named after rancher Cranston “Duke” Pia, who was shot and killed while confronting trespassers on his property.

The new law establishes a temporary Agricultural Enforcement Pilot Program within the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement operating on Oahu and Hawaii.

The program will allow for quicker responses to agricultural crimes and provide critical data to the state. The collected data will be filed into a future report that could aid in expanding the program, officials said.

Several lawmakers who led the effort to bring the legislation to the governor were on hand to witness the signing.

“This bill sends a message to our communities,” said state Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa, chair of the Agriculture and Food System Committee. “Crimes against our ag producers will no longer be tolerated. It’s about safety, dignity, and accountability for stewards of our aina.”

Green also signed House Bill 427, Act 236, which enhances the monitoring of biosecurity risks entering the state, like the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle.

The bill also establishes the creation of the state’s first transitional facilities, which require items entering through piers, airports, or other ports to be assessed and certified by a trained biosecurity compliance auditor.

The new legislation also increases penalties for illegally transporting plants, animals, and microorganisms to safeguard the state’s economy, native landscape, and people.

It also renames the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. The Board of Agriculture has also been renamed to reflect the change.

The Hawaii Invasive Species Council is being transferred from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.

“Biosecurity is critical to Hawaii because without it agriculture can drift and it can be wounded and damaged and it can’t really sustain itself unless we protect it,” Green said.

He also signed HB 774, Act 237, which establishes a network promoting “Made In Hawaii,” “Hawaii Made,” “Produced in Hawaii,” and “Processed in Hawaii” products to strengthen the state’s economic resiliency in the agriculture, sustainability, and culinary innovation sectors.

“By establishing a Food and Product Innovation Network, we not only support local agriculture but also boost food security, fuel our state’s economic growth, and build a more resilient and sustainable Hawaii,” said Rep. Kahaloa.

Gov. Green also signed HB 534, Act 238, which prohibits the sale of raw processed ahi by retail establishments without a label that states the country where the ahi was landed.

House Bill 496, Act 242, prohibits the use of certain words and misleading Hawaiian imagery, place, names, and motifs on a label that contains or inlcudes tea or dried leaves of a the plant Pipturus albidus, unless 100% of the tea or leaves were cultivated, harvested, and dried within Hawaii.