HI HB297

Directs the Department of Agriculture to review the Aedes aegypti mosquito carrying Wolbachia bacteria, including specimens originating from Hawaii stock for landscape-scale mosquito control, and determine appropriate placement on the animal import list.

Requires the Departments of Agriculture, Health, and Land and Natural Resources to collaborate on a report to the legislature including findings, recommendations, and implementation costs for a potential mosquito control program using Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes.

Report must address placement of the mosquito on the appropriate animal import list under Hawaii Revised Statutes section 150A-6.2 and recommend alternative vector control methods if the program is not permitted.

Establishes that Wolbachia bacteria in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes reduce disease transmission capability without suppressing mosquito populations, and research indicates the bacteria are safe for humans, animals, and the environment.

Report must be submitted to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2020 regular session convening.