A public hearing will be held February 1, 2013 on House Bill 233, which would require licensing of “commercial dog breeders” subject to unnamed fees, would require unannounced inspections, and would establish requirements and standards of care.
A commercial dog breeder would be defined as a person who owns, maintains, or otherwise has custody or control of more than ten female dogs with intact sexual organs over the age of six months for the purpose of breeding those dogs and selling or otherwise transferring their offspring. The measure does not indicate how “for the purpose of breeding” would be determined; therefore, the owner of 10 intact females could be subject to licensing if a single puppy is sold or placed.
HB233 is similar to the original version of Senate Bill 414, which the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor has passed with amendments. (The text of SB414 as amended is not available at this time.)
Public Hearing on House Bill 233
House Committee on Economic Development and Business
February 1, 2013
9:00 a.m.
Room 312
415 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Problematic provisions of HB233 include, but are not limited to:
- No person would be permitted to own, maintain, have custody of, or control more than 50 sexually intact dogs over the age of 6 months at any time.
- The premises and records of a licensee or applicant for license would be subject to unannounced inspections during business hours.
- Fees would be determined by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, or a designated humane society contracted with the county, or any employee or agent thereof.
- The Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, or his/her representative or assignee would adopt, amend and repeal rules necessary for the administration and enforcement of the measure. The director would have sole jurisdiction to grant, renew, deny, suspend, and revoke any license. Violations of any provisions of the measure or any rule later adopted would be subject to a fine of $2,000 per citation as determined by the director.
- Operating as a commercial dog breeder without a license would be punishable by civil fines of up to $1,000 per day as determined by the director.
What You Can Do :
- Express any concerns with these bills via an online form by clicking here. Type the bill number in the box under “Enter a measure to retrieve the corresponding hearing notice” and follow the instructions. You may also submit comments (referred to as “testimony”) via the online form. Important – please submit online testimony no less than 24 hours prior to the hearing.
- Contact committee members to express your concerns.
- Attend the public hearing(s) to state your concerns.
House Committee on Economic Development and Business
Chairman, Rep. Clift Tsuji, 808-586-8480, reptsuji@capitol.hawaii.gov
Vice Chairman, Rep. Gene Ward, 808-586-6420, repward@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. Tom Brower, 808-586-8520, repbrower@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. Romy M. Cachola, 808-586-6010, repcachola@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. Isaac W. Choy, 808-586-8475, repchoy@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. Takashi Ohno 808-586-9415, repohno@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. Richard H.K. Onishi, 808-586-6120, reponishi@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. Gregg Takayama, 808-586-6340, reptakayama@capitol.hawaii.gov
Rep. James Kunane Tokioka, 808-586-6270, reptokioka@capitol.hawaii.gov
For questions or more information, contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org or (919) 816-3720.
A public hearing will be held February 1, 2013 on House Bill 233, which would require licensing of…