HI HB2551

Appropriates unspecified general funds for fiscal year 2026-2027 to continue the area-wide fruit fly suppression program administered by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity

Fruit flies, which arrived in Hawaii in 1895 and have no natural predators, cause millions of dollars in lost agricultural production and remain subject to a federal quarantine that limits diversified agriculture expansion

A 1999 USDA-funded five-year program using field sanitation, protein bait sprays, and male-lure traps successfully reduced fruit fly infestation rates to below 5% for many crops while decreasing insecticide use

The Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity has contracted with the University of Hawaii at Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience to reinitiate the program using funding from Act 231, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024

Effective date is set as July 1, 3000 (placeholder date indicating the bill requires further action)