Committee amends and advances bill to create spay-and-neuter special fund for free-roaming cats

The House Committee on Culture and the Arts on March 25 amended SB 1023 SD1 HD1 to incorporate language from the House vehicle HB 1736 HD2 and voted to pass the measure with those amendments. The bill creates a spay-and-neuter special fund aimed at reducing pet overpopulation and funding spaying and neutering of free-roaming cats, with appropriations to counties.

Deputy Attorney General Cindy Garso testified in person that "the bill as written may cause confusion regarding which department is responsible for the special fund and the advisory committee," and said the Attorney General's Office provided written revisions and was available for questions. Patrick Chee of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Invasive Species Council told the committee DLNR prefers the language used in HB 1736 HD2 and urged that it be used here to produce a balanced draft developed with animal welfare stakeholders including the Hawaiian Humane Society.

Grant Sizemore of the American Bird Conservancy spoke via Zoom and, while the organization had submitted opposition testimony, asked the committee to "move the bill forward so that we can continue the conversations" with animal welfare colleagues and negotiate agreeable amendment language. The chair asked Sizemore whether ABC agreed with the HB 1736 language; Sizemore said yes.

After hearing from testifiers and noting written submissions from stakeholders, Chair Capella stated the committee would "be amending this language to insert the language from the House vehicle HB 1736 HD2 into this bill," describing the House draft as "a much more refined and collaborative approach to supporting animal control efforts" and specifically adding funding for spaying and neutering cats.

The committee voted to pass SB 1023 SD1 HD1 with amendments. Chair Capella, Vice Chair Kong, Representative Garrett and Representative San Buenaventura recorded votes of "I" in favor. Representatives Lee and Razolta were recorded as excused. The committee's recommendation to pass with amendments was adopted.

The measure will proceed with the committee's adopted amendments; stakeholders indicated they intend to continue negotiations on precise language and implementation details.