Alert: Pesticide Protections & Support for Farmers
None of our important pesticide reform bills or ADC reform have been scheduled for a first hearing in the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems and they have to be heard next week to stay alive!
Kindly request the Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems, Representative Gates, schedule these important pesticide bills this week!
Pesticide Buffers Around Schools (HB254)
Improved Pesticide Reporting for Act 45 (HB253)
Increased Fines for Pesticide Use Violations (HB692)
Neonic Classification as Restricted Use (HB251)
ADC Reform (HB255)
Representative Gates for House District 45 (Wai‘anae, Mākaha)
Phone: 808-586-8460
repgates@capitol.hawaii.gov
Please call TODAY and Tomorrow Fri Feb 10th to request Rep Gates include these measures on tomorrow's hearing notice and not let these important bills die again this year.
Additional Talking Points / Background
Pesticide Buffers Around Schools (HB254)
For years communities have been fighting to buffer their children and communities from drift of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) which are used heavily by a handful of companies in Hawaiʻi. HB254 is an attempt to better protect children and communities by mandating ½ mile buffer zones where RUPs can not be applied.
Improved Pesticide Reporting for Act 45 (HB253)
Communities have also for years fought for basic disclosure data to know what pesticides are being used in communities around the islands. In 2018 SB3095 passed into Act 45 and mandated reporting data, but the data is not standardized, geographically accurate or available to the public in accessible form and this needs to change.
Increased Fines for Pesticide Use Violations (HB692)
We know that certain users have treated low fines for pesticide use violations like a “cost of doing business”. Current low cost fines need to be increased both to put pressure on repeat offenders to change behavior and to raise the money needed for proper pesticide oversight.
Neonic Classification as Restricted Use (HB251)
Neonicotinoid (Neonic) pesticides are a widely used class of insecticides developed in the 1990s which pose significant risk to humans, pollinators and environmental health. Because neonics are not considered RUPs, we have no idea what types and in what amounts these pesticides are being used throughout Hawaiʻi.
ADC Reform (HB255)
The Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) is a government agency that controls and manages large agricultural lands and water projects throughout Hawaiʻi. The ADC failed to accomplish its mission to expand local agriculture and HB 255 reforms the agency to address some of the major failures and better manage public agricultural land for public good and expansion of local agriculture towards better food security for Hawaiʻi.
