Please Contact House Ag Chair Gates and Ask Him to Schedule SB3316 - Improved RUP Reporting
The House Agriculture and Food Systems Committee Chair, Representative Cedric Gates, needs to schedule a hearing for SB3316 (improving RUP reporting) this week or the measure will die again this year!
What Does This Bill Do?
Requires more regular reporting, rather than just annual reporting of restricted use pesticides. Amends the contents of reports to include specific geospatial data and information, site information, and increased detail on the amount of restricted use pesticides used. Requires the Department of Agriculture to develop an online reporting tool for restricted use pesticides.
Take Action! Contact Chair Gates Today!
SB3316 is the last living pesticide measure we have prioritized this session. Bufferzones around schools measure was never heard in the house and died in the Senate. Our pollinator protection measure (regulating neonic use in Hawaiʻi) also wasn't scheduled to be heard by the house and died in the Senate. Our improved RUP (Restricted Use Pesticide) reporting measure also wasn’t scheduled by the House Agriculture and Food Systems Committee but the Senate measure made it through and has passed over to the House. If Chair Gates doesnt schedule SB3316 this week to be heard by the House Committee on Agriculture, it will also die this session.
Chair Cedric Gates - House Committee on Agriculture and Food Systems
House District 45 (Wai‘anae, Mākaha)
Hawai‘i State Capitol, Room 441
Phone: 808-586-8460
Custom requests from people across Hawaiʻi flooding his inbox over the weekend may be our only hope!
Are you from his district? Make sure he knows that in your outreach!
Guidance on Outreach:
Aloha Chair Gates,
Introduce yourself and ask for SB3316 to be scheduled/heard by this session/week
Describe why this matters to you, if you want or can
Be kind and respectful always of course!
“If they mention another pesticide measure (HB2136), just know reporting was taken back out of it and it will NOT improve RUP reporting. SB3316 is the only measure still alive this session to improve data collection & use reporting.”
Your Name, Town
Why Is This Bill Important?
Communities have fought for years for the right to know what is sprayed nearby and what they may be exposed to.
In 2018 Hawaiʻi made great strides in protecting our communities from pesticide drift by passing the first in the nation ban of the neurotoxic pesticide, chlorpyrifos. In addition to banning this pesticide known to cause permanent neurological damage in children, Act 45 provided disclosure of restricted use pesticide (RUP) usage for the first time in Hawaiʻi as well as 100’ RUP buffer zones around schools during school hours. Restricted use pesticides (RUP’s) are more toxic and require a certification to apply. These are not the general use pesticides you can purchase over the counter.
2019 marked the first year RUP reporting data became publicly available. Analysis of this data has revealed that many communities are still heavily exposed to drift prone pesticides.
However, the way the pesticide data is currently reported does not provide enough information to assess risk, or for concerned residents to understand what they may be exposed to. This is of particular concern for our keiki because they are more vulnerable to pesticide impacts.
SB3316 Seeks to address current gaps in public reporting of RUP usage to ensure both public health studies can be conducted, and residents can more easily understand what they are potentially exposed to.
View HAPA’s 2024 Fair & Sustainable Food Systems Policy Agenda
Join us this session in supporting a broad array of bills designed to support local farmers, food producers, increase local food production, address inequities in our food system such as food insecurity, and support regenerative and indigenous farming/food production practices.
See more information below about HAPA’s 2024 FSFS policy agenda below and take action in support of these Fair & Sustainable Food System policy priorities!
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Make sure you have set up your account on the Hawaii State Legislature website. If you are new to the process, see this helpful page on legislative engagement 101 from the Public Access Room including a link on how to submit testimony!
About Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action
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The Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is deeply committed to championing social, economic, and environmental justice throughout Hawaiʻi. Recognizing the interconnected nature of food systems, we underscore that the challenges plaguing these systems are not isolated from broader social, economic, and environmental concerns. We believe in an integrated approach that addresses these interdependencies to create a just, equitable, and sustainable future for Hawaiʻi.
Contact: info@hapahi.org | (808) 212-9616
