Hawaiʻi County Council

The council moved Bill 51 through its final hearing Wednesday in a 6-2 vote after fierce debate and passionate testimony by the public and council members.

Hawaiʻi County Council member Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder and Elaine Partlow from Action 4 Animals Hawaii sit down with HPR’s Maddie Bender to debate a bill that would prohibit feeding stray or feral animals on county property.

Hawaiʻi County lawmakers are moving a bill to ban the feeding of feral animals on county property. However, that is despite the swaths of testimony calling it inhumane and counterproductive to controlling feral populations.

Bill 51 proposes fining those who are caught feeding stray and feral animals on County of Hawaiʻi land — $50 for first-time violators and up to $500 for repeat offenses.

Bill 47 is a renewed effort by some council members to reform what the measure calls “transient vacation rentals,” or short-term rentals offered on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.

County law currently only allows chickens to be raised on agricultural land, but Bill 52 would let residents have “household henneries” for non-commercial egg production.

The Hawaiʻi County Council has adopted a measure asking the state Agriculture and Health departments to work with farmers as they respond to the contagious avian flu.

Some Hawaiʻi Island lawmakers want the state to come up with a humane plan to manage avian flu. The Hawaiʻi County Council has introduced a resolution urging the state Department of Agriculture to work with local poultry farmers to develop a plan. The resolution was heard in a council committee meeting on Tuesday.

The Hawaiʻi County Council could urge the state Legislature to implement a universal free school meals program for public school students statewide.

A Hawaiʻi County Council resolution heard Wednesday urges the Legislature to permanently exempt birth attendants from being required to have a state midwifery license and to expand the eligibility criteria for the license.