Bill > SCR169

This Concurrent Resolution requests the Department of Agriculture to create and put into action a system for approving private facilities that can hold plants in quarantine. This is important because coffee leaf rust, a serious plant disease, threatens Hawaii's coffee industry, and the state currently has limited quarantine capacity. By allowing private facilities to be certified, the state hopes to increase its ability to import rust-resistant coffee plants from other countries, which is seen as a long-term solution to protect the industry. A plant quarantine facility is a secure place where imported plants are held and inspected to ensure they don't carry pests or diseases that could harm local agriculture.