Committee on Government Operations Meeting - July 22, 2026
Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs Meeting - July 22, 2026
The 38th session of the Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs was held on July 22, 2026, at 9 a.m. in Kona Council Chambers, chaired by Councilmember Jen Kagiwada. The committee addressed three resolutions and two communications, including a discussion of the 2027 Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC) legislative package. All items were forwarded to the full council with unanimous support (9-0, with Councilmember Onishi absent for the first vote).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Shelley (representing International Task Forest of the Pacific) testified on Communication 954 and Resolution 602-26. She urged the county to exclude herbicide purchases from the legislative package, citing cancer risks to employees and high cancer rates on Hawaii Island. She stated that Hawaiian Homes has banned herbicides on its lands but noted spraying continues. She also advocated for increased funding for Hawaiian language schools. Additionally, she opposed ocean mining in U.S. waters, referencing 31 million acres under consideration by the Trump administration and warning of impacts to Hawaii’s fisheries as the closest coastal impact to the International Seabed Authority, 2,000 miles of seabed mining from Baja California to 350 nautical miles southeast of the Big Island.
- Kavehi Young (Public Outreach Coordinator, Big Island Invasive Species Committee, BISC) testified in support of Resolution 603-26. She reported that BISC has conducted 32 training sessions on CRB compliance, reaching 177 people from over 25 entities. She cited a recent example where a nursery found a CRB breeding site and recovered 67 grubs. She requested a dedicated point of contact at the Department of Agriculture (DOA) on Hawaii Island to improve communication and enforcement.
- Megan Lamson Leatherman (Hawaii Wildlife Fund) also testified in support of Resolution 603, emphasizing the need to enforce interim rule 26-1 to prevent the spread of coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), which has been in the state for 13 years and is out of control on Oahu and Kauai. She noted that CRB attacks native loulu palms and over two dozen crop species.
Discussion Items
- Communication 954: HSAC Legislative Package Priorities: Councilmembers discussed priorities for the 2027 HSAC legislative package. Councilmember Nava will resubmit a bill banning aquarium fish trade. Councilmember Viegas advocated for banning herbicides, especially glyphosate. Councilmember Kleinfelder proposed requiring studies on renewable energy for government infrastructure. Councilmember Kirkowitz called for auditing business bureaucracy at DCCA and diversifying the economy. Councilmember Galimba asked for a watershed/flooding framework. Councilmember Hustis pushed for greater investment in watershed monitoring and engagement with DHHL on water infrastructure. Councilmember Kagiwada suggested urging DOH to increase behavioral health and substance abuse support on outer islands. Councilmember Kimball noted preemption concerns, data center land use, and the upcoming general excise tax renewal. She will compile these into a resolution for August.
- Resolution 602-26: Intergovernmental Agreement with National Park Service: Authorizes the mayor to renew an agreement for joint fire protection at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Acting Fire Chief Daniel Volpe explained the agreement is a routine renewal with no material changes, though it now complies with a federal executive order on social rights.
- Resolution 603-26: CRB Quarantine Enforcement: Urges the Department of Agriculture to fully implement interim rule 26-1. Jonathan Ho (Plant Quarantine Branch Manager) confirmed DOA has three staff in Kona, uses a complaint-driven approach, and is working with the Attorney General to identify violators. He noted DOA’s budget is 0.4% of the state budget. Councilmember Viegas questioned whether DOA received $40 million; Ho disputed that figure. Councilmember Kirkowitz noted the legislature had appropriated $20 million for biosecurity in 2024, but Governor Green cut it to $10 million. BISC supported the resolution and called for more direct funding to frontline organizations.
- Resolution 605-26: Charter Amendment for County Auditor: Directs the county clerk to place Ordinance 26-47 on the 2026 general election ballot to clarify the county auditor’s powers over employees. Councilmember Inaba described it as a housekeeping measure.
Key Outcomes
- Communication 40.8: Motion to close file carried 8-0 (Councilmember Onishi absent).
- Communication 954: Motion to close file carried 9-0. Councilmember Kimball will draft a resolution on HSAC priorities for August.
- Resolution 602-26: Motion to forward to full council with favorable recommendation passed 9-0.
- Resolution 603-26: Motion to forward to full council with favorable recommendation passed 9-0.
- Resolution 605-26: Motion to forward to full council with favorable recommendation passed 9-0.
All items were approved unanimously and will be heard by the full council at a later date.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the 38th session of the Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs. I'm Jen Kagiwada, I'll be chairing the meeting today. Today is July 22nd, 2026. The time is 9 a.m. Um let's see, with us today in council chambers here in Kona. We have Council members Kimball, Galimba, Viegas, Coneli Kleinfelder, Inaba, Kirkowitz, and Hustis, and I believe Councilmember Onishi will be joining us shortly. I think we are ready to go ahead with public testimony. Mr. Clark. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Just want to confirm that we do have full testify in the whole and a couple of expected testifiers view Zoom. With that being said, we'll start with our testifyers. So Laura, if you could start us off, please. Good morning, everyone. We have uh Shelly Haggy here testifying on communication 954 and resolution 602-26 representing the International Task Forest of the Pacific. Shelley, you have three minutes, please let us know when you transition. Okay. Hello, my name is Shelley. I'm a former of the county research. Um I'm communicating Commission 95 communication 954. Um I wanted to request about the legislative package so far as um spraying of herbicides, and that that should not be included in the budget so far as the communications and uh counties legislative package because it does cause cancer, and some of our employees uh were subject to um to cancer from being made to spray um herbicides. So it's part of our legislative package. Um we need to stop the purchase of um anything to do with herbicides, glycosides, um other things, and just to let you know that the Hawaiian homes um did make a ban on herbicides on all Hawaiian homelands, um, including over there by uh Macy's, although uh they have not stopped spraying. Um other issues in the legislative package is to look at um Hawaiian language uh schools um within the county of Hawaii and our legislative package, um as our state of Hawaii are um it is our state language, the Hawaiian O level Hawaii, and that uh we need to put more funding uh toward that so far as um our counties legislative uh package so that we are geared toward um things that are Uamao Keokaina Ikopono, and that we look forward to helping our Keikioka Aina and our Mookunas that they don't suffer from cancer and all the other things, and including up on places like Marna Road, where um herbicides are being sprayed for gores and other activities, and that um there is what's called a civilian ballistic package that UH has been doing on Mono Road, um a ballistic herbicide package uh being sprayed up there if you didn't know that already, and that was being done through the Senate, and that here on the county we do have a say so, even though the county is saying uh that the uh state is saying that they are not subject to any county regulations of herbicides. I believe that's totally wrong, and that we do have a say so uh within the perimeters of the county of Hawaii and on Moko Kease is at the three minutes. Um, and just to sum it up, as I said before, we need to really research the issue of herbicides here on Moko Kiape and look at the problem here that there is a real problem of cancer and herbicides being found here on Moko Kiabe that we do have a high rate of herbicide related cancer, and um, this is not something that is uh a protest issue or whatever. This is a real scientific fact, and that um I believe um there are Kanak Mole sitting there hearing this request and discussion regarding our legislative package, and that I plead with you to look into that situation. Okay, all right, and then I would like to jump to um the resolution 605-26 in reference to the um the ordinance. Oh, wait, I see it. I'm sorry, I think I said the wrong one. Yeah, I'm sorry. Um, let me jump back to the um here we go. Yeah, I'm sorry. Let me start over if you don't mind. 602-26. My name is Shelley Maka Allen of Claude III. Um, Shelley Mahi, and uh Mokahay Navigator bloodline, and I'm very disturbed that President Trump is looking at ocean mining of 31 million acres by the Ros Aetal in U.S. Moa, and that uh we are subject to EPA region 9, and that the um National Park Service and Department of Interior has every state solved in stopping ocean mining, and that here on Moko Kiaave, we are the closest coastal impact to the International Seabed Authority, 2,000 miles of seabed mining that goes from Baja California to just 350 nautical miles southeast of the big island of Hawaii Moko Keave, and it directly impacts the actions of the National Park Service and Department of Interior directly impacts our fisheries, which I learned about at UH Manoa and UH Hilo. That basically our seamounts is where our pelagic nursery cycles entail um bars are Aki and other pelagic migratory species, and are uh especially having to do with our navigators and other people associated uh with our sustainable fisheries. That we need to step up, we need to help US Samoa. We need to look at the fact that there are um different agencies involved with ocean mining, and I'm gonna have to just say it that Trump um, so far as at least three of the people um involved with ocean mining, um, are actually um they're part of the the whole thing. They're they're the ones that are gonna benefit from the ocean mining, and that it's not fair to Hawaii, it's not fair to the Hawaiians, it's not fair to the Kanakamoli, it's not fair to the children, the Cape Yocaina. And here we are sitting at Moko Keave with Department of Interior and other agencies directly involved with ocean mining, that we are the closest coastal impact out of the entire planet. Please help save Hawaii and please help put this forward toward the Department of Interior to help US Samoa at the Rose A toll. I am of the Hawaii Navigators, and I am stepping forward to plead with you to stop ocean mining in the Pacific. Thank you, Mahala. That's Al Bokoa. Thank you very much. Thank you so much for your testimony.
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