Bill > HB2119

This bill temporarily reestablishes the Coffee Berry Borer and Coffee Leaf Rust Pesticide Subsidy Program and the position of program manager, exempting the manager from certain civil service and collective bargaining laws, to help Hawaii's coffee farmers combat devastating pests like the coffee berry borer (a small beetle) and coffee leaf rust (a fungal disease). The program, administered by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, will provide subsidies to growers for approved pesticides from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2028, covering up to seventy-five percent of costs with annual limits per grower and per acre, and the department is required to report to the Legislature on the program's effectiveness. Additionally, the bill appropriates funds for the program's operation and implementation, and modifies the pesticide use revolving fund to include appropriations for this subsidy program, with the overall act taking effect on July 1, 2050, but with specific provisions for the subsidy program and manager position expiring in 2028 and 2029 respectively.