Cayetano vetoes animal quarantine bill
| • | Cayetano proposes deal on age-of-consent bill |
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Gov. Ben Cayetano has vetoed a bill that would have reduced animal quarantine fees and given a special break to military personnel.
Senate Bill 204 would have reduced animal quarantine fees by $175 per pet for enlisted military personnel in pay grades E-1 to E-6, and reduced quarantine fees by $45 per pet for civilians and higher-ranking military personnel.
Cayetano said the bill may be discriminatory "because it favors active duty military personnel of certain grades and does not accord the same benefit to civilians of equivalent income levels."
Military officials have complained for years that Hawai'i's animal quarantine laws are a hardship for service personnel because of their high cost and the fact their tours of duty usually don't last long.
The fees are $655 to keep an animal under observation for 30 days and $1,080 for 120 days.
Other bills Cayetano vetoed Friday include:
• House Bill 135, which would have required car booster seats for children between the ages of four and eight and weighing less than 80 pounds. Cayetano said it would be a hardship on large families, and could hurt foster parents, carpoolers and baby-sitters. He also said it would be difficult to enforce because a child's weight is not readily apparent.
• Senate Bill 838, which would have established a two-year pilot program to provide grants for installing wind-damage mitigation devices to residential property owners who are current or former policyholders of the Hawai'i Hurricane Relief Fund. Cayetano said there is no reason to limit the grants to the policyholders, that the bill lacks a detailed plan, and that the state is awaiting a study.
Legislators are considering coming back in session to override or amend some of the vetoed bills.
