This bill, titled the Hawaii Invasive Species Protection Act, amends existing law to establish comprehensive preclearance quarantine inspections for all movement of people, baggage, and cargo to or from the State of Hawaii. The Secretary of Agriculture, through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), will conduct these visual, x-ray, and canine inspections in cooperation with various federal and Hawaiian agencies. The primary goal is to identify and prevent the introduction or spread of high-risk invasive species and agricultural materials, with inspections occurring at all departure airports, ports, and U.S. Postal Service facilities before direct travel. APHIS, in consultation with Hawaii, will develop and publish a list of specific items subject to these rigorous inspections. The legislation further integrates these new inspection requirements into the Plant Protection Act, ensuring that invasive species and agricultural materials destined for Hawaii are explicitly covered under existing plant health regulations. To support these enhanced biosecurity measures, the bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 and the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944. These amendments authorize the collection of user fees sufficient to cover the full cost of all preclearance quarantine inspection services provided for travel and shipments related to Hawaii.
This bill, titled the Hawaii Invasive Species Protection Act, amends existing law to establish comprehensive preclearance quarantine inspections for all movement of people, baggage, and cargo to or from the State of Hawaii. The Secretary of Agriculture, through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), will conduct these visual, x-ray, and canine inspections in cooperation with various federal and Hawaiian agencies. The primary goal is to identify and prevent the introduction or spread of high-risk invasive species and agricultural materials, with inspections occurring at all departure airports, ports, and U.S. Postal Service facilities before direct travel. APHIS, in consultation with Hawaii, will develop and publish a list of specific items subject to these rigorous inspections. The legislation further integrates these new inspection requirements into the Plant Protection Act, ensuring that invasive species and agricultural materials destined for Hawaii are explicitly covered under existing plant health regulations. To support these enhanced biosecurity measures, the bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 and the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944. These amendments authorize the collection of user fees sufficient to cover the full cost of all preclearance quarantine inspection services provided for travel and shipments related to Hawaii.