The state House Judiciary Committee shelved a bill Thursday that would have allowed dogs to accompany their owners in restaurants at the discretion of restaurant owners and managers.
Among the more novel bills before lawmakers, the proposal had the support of animal-rights groups and had cleared one committee. But Rep. Gilbert Keith-Agaran, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he deferred it because of concerns regarding patrons who might be allergic or have other bad reactions to animals.
"The questions that arose about interactions with people and with service animals, I think, were issues that were unresolved," he said.
House Bill 2749 raised eyebrows with its unconventional proposal. It was an example of the handful of measures introduced each session that some might consider wacky, frivolous or a waste of legislators’ time. Lawmakers, however, don’t see it that way.
"I think every bill that’s proposed has someone that’s pushing it," Keith-Agaran said. "So when you say ‘frivolous,’ it wasn’t frivolous for somebody."
SHADE AND WATER AND BEARS
Here are some other eyebrow-raising bills introduced at the Hawaii Legislature this year:
» Bear organs: HB 2296 would prohibit the purchase, sale, transportation and delivery of any substance containing bear gallbladders or bile, which are sold in Chinatown for medicinal and cosmetic uses. Poachers in other countries kill bears for their organs. Status: Advanced by House Judiciary Committee.
» Shady penalty: HB 1720 would fine property owners who do not keep trees and plants trimmed so they do not cast shadows on a neighbor’s solar energy panels. Would not apply to plants in existence before the panels. Status: Dead.
» Capitol respect: SB 3026 would make it a misdemeanor for a person other than a legislator to show "disrespect" at the Legislature by actions including shouting, refusing to sit or threatening anyone there. Status: Dead.
» Watered-down price: HB 2815 would require vendors at Hawaii airports to sell bottled water at no more than the average price of bottled water in that county. Status: Dead.
» Rename holiday: SB 3007 would rename Discoverers’ Day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Hawaii has once before renamed this holiday, observed by 47 states as Columbus Day. Status: Advanced by Senate Hawaiian Affairs and Economic Development committees.
» Rename library: HB 1673 would change the name of Manoa Public Library to the Brian T. Taniguchi Public Library. Only one of Hawaii’s 51 public libraries, the Thelma Parker Public Library on Hawaii island, is named after a person. Taniguchi is a state senator. Status: Dead.
Source: Hawaii Legislature
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Other measures introduced this session that could be considered head-scratchers include a bill that would designate an official state microbe, one to designate Aug. 4 as "President Barack Obama Day" and a resolution to recognize the late Whitney Houston as "one of the greatest recording artists ever."
Rep. John Mizuno (D, Kalihi) introduced House Bill 2846, which would establish Aug. 4 — Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu — as "President Barack Obama Day," and the resolution that would recognize Houston’s accomplishments and her struggle with drug addiction. Neither measure has received a hearing, a sign they are going nowhere.
"This is the marketplace of ideas," Mizuno said. "Many of the bills that I’ve introduced, and many others, may not get a hearing, but a year later you’ll see another senator or representative introduce or reintroduce what I introduced.
"With any bill, you’ll probably have some naysayers."
The dogs-in-restaurants bill had legs, clearing the House Health Committee on Feb. 7 after it was amended to require restaurant owners to have specific safety and sanitation-control procedures in place if they chose to allow dogs in.
Keith-Agaran (D, Kahului-Paia) said the amendment could have made the bill work but that he still had concerns over restaurant patrons who would have adverse reactions to dogs.
Inga Gibson, state director of the Humane Society of the United States, which supported the bill, said she is encouraged the proposal was taken seriously.
"We’re thrilled that our governor and the state Legislature is considering these progressive measures that exemplify the value of companion animals as family members, but at the same time we have a lot of work to be done," Gibson said.
Rep. James Tokioka (D, Wailua-Koloa) said he got the idea for the state-microbe bill, House Bill 2079, from a high school friend who is a scientist at the University of Hawaii-Manoa and works with the man who discovered the microbe, UH-Manoa marine microbiologist Stuart Donachie.
Tokioka said he was skeptical at first but became enthusiastic when he learned the microbe — Nesiotobacter exalbescens — is unique to Hawaii and the only member of a newly discovered genus. It was found in a salty lake on Laysan Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
"I know that there could have been some thoughts about, ‘You guys have more things to worry about than a state microbe,’" Tokioka said. "Which we do, but on the other hand … we want kids to get excited about science and technology."
The House Health Committee will hear the microbe bill today.
"As best I can, I would like to do my part to create bills of substance and work on things of substance at the Capitol," said Rep. Tom Brower (D, Waikiki-Ala Moana), a co-sponsor of the Obama Day bill. "But at the same time, if a legislator promotes a frivolous issue, I still want to treat that legislator and that issue with respect."
