Bill · H.R. 487· House(119-HR-487)
Hawaii Invasive Species Protection Act
- Introduced
- 1/16/2025
- Last activity
- 1/16/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- Sponsored by
- Ed Case
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Hawaii Invasive Species Protection Act seeks to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. It requires preclearance quarantine inspections for all domestic and international travel to or from the State of Hawaii. These inspections will involve visual, x-ray, and canine checks of persons, baggage, cargo, and other articles. The Secretary of Agriculture will coordinate these efforts with various government agencies and the government of Hawaii. The bill also establishes a process for developing and publishing a list of items subject to inspection. Finally, it includes provisions for the seizure and disposal of high-risk materials and the collection of fees to cover inspection costs.
Yes
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+7
The bill establishes rigorous screening and seizure protocols to protect Hawaii from invasive species and agricultural threats.
Does this tighten control of the border?+6
The bill strengthens biological security by requiring mandatory preclearance inspections for movement to and from Hawaii.
Would farmers be better off under this?+4
The bill helps protect local agriculture from the devastating impacts of invasive species brought in through travel and cargo.
The opposite
Does this make it easier to run a small business?-3
The bill imposes new inspection requirements and user fees that may increase costs for small-scale cargo and agricultural businesses.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-2
New user fees required to cover the cost of inspections could place a higher relative financial burden on low-income travelers.
Is this likely to lift people out of poverty?-1
The imposition of new user fees for travel and cargo may disproportionately affect lower-income travelers.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection from invasive species: The bill mandates inspections for high-risk invasive species and agricultural materials (Section 2(a)). This is intended to screen for these risks during movement to or from Hawaii.
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Structured inspection process: The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a list of items subject to inspection and publish that list in the Federal Register (Section 2(c) and 2(d)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Seizure of property: High-risk invasive species and agricultural materials discovered during inspections may be seized and disposed of (Section 2(e)).
-
Increased costs through fees: The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to prescribe and collect user fees to cover the full cost of the preclearance quarantine inspections (Section 5). Additionally, the bill amends existing laws to include these inspection costs in the collection of fees (Section 4).
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Inspection requirements at multiple locations: Domestic preclearance inspections must be conducted at departure and interline airports, ports of departure, and destination sectional center facilities of the United States Postal Service (Section 2(b)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+7
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Border Security+6Improves Poverty Reduction-1
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support-3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+4Good For Low Income Households-2
- 1/16/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Jill TokudaDemocrat · Hawaii