Bill > SB2703

This bill appropriates $1,000,000 from the state's general revenues for the fiscal year 2026-2027 to fund an area-wide fruit fly suppression program, which will be managed by the department of agriculture and biosecurity. The bill acknowledges that fruit flies are a significant agricultural pest in Hawaii, causing millions of dollars in losses and leading to a federal quarantine that hinders agricultural expansion. It references a past successful program initiated in 1999 by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Research Service (ARS) that used a combination of field sanitation, protein bait sprays, and male-lure traps to reduce fruit fly populations and insecticide use, and notes that the department of agriculture and biosecurity is currently working to re-evaluate and update these methods.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2703&year=2026