RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL BIOSECURITY.

Agriculture Budget Labor

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: KAHALOA
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date listed as July 1, 3000 appears to be a placeholder or error and is likely incorrect.

Funding for Agricultural Biosecurity Positions

This bill appropriates funds to the Department of Agriculture for permanent positions in agricultural biosecurity established by Act 231 of the Hawaii State Legislature in 2024.

What This Bill Does

Appropriates money from Hawaii's general budget to support forty-four full-time equivalent (44.0 FTE) permanent jobs in agricultural biosecurity for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.
The positions include plant quarantine inspectors, account clerks, office assistants, entomologists, plant pathologists, noxious weed specialists, planners, and environmental health specialists.

Who It Names or Affects

The Department of Agriculture receives funding for agricultural biosecurity positions.
Farmers and other agriculture-related businesses may benefit from improved biosecurity measures.

Terms To Know

Fiscal Year: A period used for budgeting and financial reporting, typically a twelve-month period.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): A measure of the workload of an employee or group of employees expressed in terms of full-time employment.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the funds will be used beyond supporting positions.
It is unclear what specific programs and activities these positions will engage in.
The effective date listed as July 1, 3000 appears to be a placeholder or error.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment appropriates $19,780,660 from the state's general revenues to fund various agricultural biosecurity programs and positions established by a previous act.

Appropriates funds for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support forty-four full-time equivalent (FTE) permanent agricultural biosecurity positions.

The amendment specifies funding but does not provide details on how the funds will be allocated or managed.
The effective date of July 1, 3000 is likely a placeholder and needs to be corrected in future versions.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-02-14 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).
2025-02-14 H
Reported from AGR (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 637) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2025-02-12 H
The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Kahaloa, Kusch, Lowen, Perruso, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward.
2025-02-07 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by AGR on Wednesday, 02-12-25 9:30AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to AGR, FIN, referral sheet 2
2025-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-17 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL BIOSECURITY.
DOA; Biosecurity; Appropriation ($)
Appropriates funds to the Department of Agriculture for various programs and permanent positions in agricultural biosecurity established by Act 231, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB775

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

775

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to agricultural biosecurity
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION 1.
�
There is
appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $19,797,868
or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same
sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the
support of the forty-four full-time equivalent (44.0 FTE) permanent agricultural
biosecurity positions established pursuant to Act 231, Session Laws of Hawaii
2024, as follows:

Prog ID/Org

Position Title

Position #

MOF

FTE (P)

FTE (T)

FY 25 $

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95001A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95002A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95003A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95004A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95005A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95006A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95007A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95008A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95009A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95010A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95011A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95012A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95016A

A

1.00

69,096

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95017A

A

1.00

71,016

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95018A

A

1.00

71,016

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95019A

A

1.00

71,016

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95020A

A

1.00

71,016

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95021A

A

1.00

71,016

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95022A

A

1.00

71,016

AGR 122 EB

Plant Quarantine Inspector

95023A

A

1.00

76,788

AGR 122 EB

Account Clerk

95024A

A

1.00

51,864

AGR 122 EB

Office Assistant

95025A

A

1.00

37,116

AGR 122 EC

Accountant

95026A

A

1.00

59,508

AGR 122 EC

Entomologist

95027A

A

1.00

86,376

AGR 122 EC

Entomologist (Plant Pest Diagnostics)

95028A

A

1.00

101,064

AGR 122 EC

Entomologist (Invasive Ant Specialist)

95029A

A

1.00

101,064

AGR 122 EC

Entomologist

95030A

A

1.00

101,064

AGR 122 EC

Entomologist

95031A

A

1.00

86,376

AGR 122 EC

Plant Pathologist

95032A

A

1.00

86,376

AGR 122 EC

Noxious Weed Specialist

95033A

A

1.00

76,788

AGR 122 ED

Planner

95034A

A

1.00

86,376

AGR 122 ED

Environmental Health Specialist

95035A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95036A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95037A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95038A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95039A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95040A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95041A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95042A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95043A

A

1.00

63,096

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95044A

A

1.00

76,788

AGR 846 EE

Environmental Health Specialist

95045A

A

1.00

86,376

AGR 846 EE

Accountant

95046A

A

1.00

68,280

AGR 846 EE

Planner

94507A

A

1.00

68,280

GRAND TOTAL

44.00

0.00

19,780,660

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture
for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 2.
�

This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOA;
Biosecurity; Appropriations

Description:

Appropriates
funds to the Department of Agriculture for permanent positions in agricultural
biosecurity established by Act 231, SLH 2024.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.