Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens plant‑health protections for Hawaii and U.S. agriculture by expanding and funding preclearance inspections, but it shifts costs, time burdens, and administrative responsibilities onto travelers, exporters, small producers, and potentially taxpayers.
Travelers to/from Hawaii and Hawaiian farmers and ecosystems face a substantially reduced risk of invasive pests because standardized preclearance inspections (visual, x‑ray, canine) and authority to intercept/dispose high‑risk items will screen imports before travel.
Preclearance inspections will be funded by USDA user fees (full‑cost recovery), reducing the need for new taxpayer appropriations and making the inspection program financially sustainable.
USDA and cooperating agencies will have clearer procedures and a published list of inspected items within 180 days, improving transparency and predictability for travelers, shippers, and state/local partners.
Exporters and small agricultural producers will face higher costs because mandatory full‑cost user fees raise compliance expenses and can reduce competitiveness for low‑margin producers.
If user fees are used in place of appropriations, Congress may reduce USDA funding for inspection programs, shifting more costs to users and potentially reducing program flexibility.
Travelers and transportation workers may experience longer screening times and potential delays at departure points due to mandatory preclearance inspections.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 16, 2025 by Ed Case · Last progress January 16, 2025
Requires USDA (through APHIS) to carry out visual, X‑ray, and canine preclearance quarantine inspections for high‑risk invasive species and agricultural material on persons, baggage, cargo, and other articles destined for direct movement to or from Hawaii. Inspections must occur before direct travel at departure/interline airports, ports of departure, and U.S. Postal Service sectional center facilities; APHIS must publish the list of items subject to inspection within 180 days. The bill also requires USDA to set and collect user fees that cover the full cost of those preclearance inspections. Several other statutory provisions receive only minor textual or punctuation edits with no substantive change.