Office of the Governor – News Release – Governor Green Signs 12 Bills to Strengthen Hawaiʻi’s Agriculture, Biosecurity, and Responsible Land Management
JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA
GOVERNOR GREEN SIGNS 12 BILLS TO STRENGTHEN HAWAIʻI’S AGRICULTURE, BIOSECURITY, AND RESPONSIBLE LAND MANAGEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 3, 2024
HONOLULU – Governor Josh Green, M.D., today signed into law 12 pivotal bills aimed at fortifying Hawaiʻi’s agricultural resilience, enhancing biosecurity measures, and promoting responsible land management practices.
“These bills represent a huge step in the safeguarding of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural interests, in protecting consumer rights, and in ensuring biosecurity,” said Governor Green. “Supporting local agriculture strengthens our food self-sufficiency and helps us diversify our economy.”
Key bills signed into law include:
SB2079: STRENGTHENING IMPORTATION CONDITIONS
This measure enhances regulations for the importation of nursery stock, plants, animals, and related products into Hawaiʻi. It mandates immediate notification upon arrival, detailed shipment information, and secure holding to prevent pest spread until inspection. The bill also strengthens labeling requirements and grants inspectors the authority to enforce quarantine and treatment protocols.
SB3365: COMPREHENSIVE BIOSECURITY MEASURES
SB3365 requires the mandatory distribution of state plant and animal declaration forms to passengers and crew arriving from outside Hawaiʻi. Visitors, returning residents, and crew will be allowed to submit their forms electronically while maintaining Hawaiʻi’s paper option.
HB2298: PROTECTING HAWAIʻI-GROWN COFFEE
This legislation addresses deceptive labeling practices of Hawaiʻi-grown coffee. Effective July 1, 2027, the law prohibits the use of geographic origin names like “Kona” on coffee products unless they contain at least 51% coffee by weight from that origin. The bill mandates clear labeling requirements for coffee blends and strict enforcement to protect the integrity of Hawaiʻi-grown coffee brands.
HB2278: ENHANCING MACADAMIA NUT LABELING TRANSPARENCY
HB2278 increases transparency in macadamia nut labeling by requiring products containing nuts grown outside Hawaiʻi to disclose this fact on the label. It prohibits misleading “with Hawaiʻi-Grown” claims unless all macadamia nuts are sourced from Hawaiʻi, with stringent enforcement measures and penalties for violations.
The complete list of bills signed included the following:
Click links to see full details of bills enacted into law.
RELATING TO FARMERS
RELATING TO VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTION
RELATING TO AGRICULTURE
RELATING TO REGULATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES
RELATING TO CAMPS
RELATING TO PESTICIDES
RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES
RELATING TO FERAL CHICKENS
Photos from today’s ceremony, courtesy Office of the Governor, will be uploaded here.
Governor Green presented this slide deck during today’s event.
Video of the event can be viewed here.
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Media Contacts:
Erika Engle
Press Secretary
Office of the Governor, State of Hawai‘i
Office: 808-586-0120
Email: [email protected]
Makana McClellan
Director of Communications
Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
Cell: 808-265-0083
Email: [email protected]
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