Requesting The Department Of Agriculture To Include A Statement On Desecration Laws In The Plant And Animal Declaration Form.
Summary
H.R. 24 is a House Resolution requesting the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to add a desecration-laws acknowledgment to the State of Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form. The resolution is aimed at travelers entering Hawaii who already must complete the form under section 150A-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and it would require them to affirm awareness of laws protecting public monuments and structures, including Native Hawaiian cultural sites, burial grounds, and places of worship. It also asks that the form continue to remind travelers about federal and state wildlife protections, and that it point users to information on these laws and ordinances.
The resolution further notes that the declaration form is already used for importation compliance, invasive species prevention, and tourism-related data collection through the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s Domestic Visitors’ Basic Characteristics Survey. It suggests that the future Akamai Arrival Program could eventually carry out the same notification function once fully implemented. The measure is framed as a way to use an existing, high-volume traveler touchpoint to educate visitors and encourage compliance with laws protecting cultural and environmental resources.
Impact
Because this is a resolution rather than a bill, H.R. 24 does not directly amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or create new penalties or enforcement mechanisms. Its practical effect would be to request an administrative change to the Plant and Animal Declaration Form used by the Department of Agriculture, and potentially to the digital Akamai Arrival Program in the future. If adopted, it would expand the informational content of the traveler declaration process and could affect incoming passengers, officers, and crew members required to complete the form.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is supportive and preventive, with an emphasis on education, cultural respect, and resource protection. The measure presents the declaration form as an efficient way to reach a large number of visitors and reduce unintentional violations. No committee votes or transcript discussion were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or amendment debate in the supplied materials.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the use of the Plant and Animal Declaration Form for a purpose beyond agriculture and biosecurity, namely to require acknowledgments about desecration laws and cultural-site protections. Some may view this as an appropriate educational use of an existing traveler form, while others could question whether it adds complexity or burdens to the arrival process. The resolution also references Native Hawaiian cultural sites, burial grounds, and places of worship, which may make the measure especially significant to cultural preservation advocates and local governments.