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Read. Follow. Verify.Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2023
Last action · September 25, 2024: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.Sponsor: Jill Tokuda
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill mandates federal collaboration between the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the State of Hawaii to combat Rapid Ohia Death. It directs ongoing research into the disease's transmission, management of s in affected areas, and financial support for forest restoration.
The bill formalizes federal funding and inter-agency cooperation to address a fungal threatening Hawaii's native Metrosideros polymorpha trees, impacting land management and conservation efforts across federal, state, and private lands.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Private landowners in Hawaii
Landowners may be asked to provide consent for ungulate management activities on their property.
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
The state government is a required partner in the federal collaboration to address the disease.
Federal agencies (Interior/Agriculture)
These agencies are mandated to allocate staff, research resources, and funding toward the disease response.
Key Facts
- The bill mandates a formal partnership between the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the State of Hawaii to address Rapid Ohia Death.
- Rapid Ohia Death is defined as the disease caused by the fungal pathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata affecting Metrosideros polymorpha trees.
- The U.S. Geological Survey is directed to continue research on disease vectors and transmission.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is directed to manage ungulates in control areas on federal, state, and private land, contingent on private landowner consent.
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- The Secretary of Agriculture is required to provide financial assistance to prevent the spread of the disease and restore native forests.
- The Secretary of Agriculture is required to provide staff and infrastructure funding to the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry for research.
- The bill passed the House of Representatives on September 24, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rapid Ohia Death?
Does this bill allow the government to manage animals on my private land?
What agencies are involved in this effort?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Formalization of Inter-agency Collaboration
The bill moves from ad-hoc response to a codified, multi-agency mandate involving both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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