SB746 establishes a two-year pilot program within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to help eradicate the coconut rhinoceros beetle, an invasive pest that damages coconut palms and other plants important to Hawaii’s agriculture, environment, and cultural practices. The bill authorizes a community-based incentive program in infested areas of counties with populations of 500,000 or more, allowing residents and other defined community members to collect and submit beetles and larvae for compensation. The Hawaii Invasive Species Council would oversee the program and help ensure stakeholder participation.
The bill also requires DLNR to report back to the Legislature on the pilot program’s findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation before the 2026 regular session. It includes an appropriation from general revenues for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to cover compensation, administration, outreach, training, advertising, and educational materials. The act is drafted with an effective date of July 1, 3000, which appears to function as a placeholder or delayed effective date in the bill text.
Impact
If enacted, SB746 would create a new DLNR-administered invasive species pilot program and direct state funds toward beetle eradication efforts, community engagement, and public education. It would not broadly amend existing statutes, but it would add a targeted state program focused on coconut rhinoceros beetle control in heavily populated counties with established infestations, while assigning oversight to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and requiring a legislative report.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received positively in committee, with unanimous or near-unanimous support at each recorded stage. It passed the Senate Agriculture and Environment Committee, the Senate Water and Land Committee, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee with amendments and no recorded opposition in the provided votes. The overall tone in the available history suggests broad agreement that the beetle poses a serious environmental, agricultural, and cultural threat that warrants state action.
Contention
The main policy questions appear to be practical rather than ideological: how much to pay community members, how to administer the program, and how to prevent abuse by excluding beetles or larvae bred by human intervention. Another likely point of discussion is the geographic limitation to areas with established infestations in counties of 500,000 or more, which narrows the program’s scope. No direct opposition is shown in the provided vote history, but the appropriation amount is left blank in the text, indicating unresolved funding details at the time of drafting.