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HCR 200

URGING THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OF THE COUNTY OF MAUI TO TAKE FURTHER MEANINGFUL ACTION TO ADDRESS THE AXIS DEER OVERPOPULATION.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Terez Amato and 6 co-sponsors

Urges Hawaii and Maui officials to expand access to USDA-certified meat inspectors and processing for locally hunted axis deer, boosting safe venison supply and deer control.

House agrees to Senate amendment(s).
#axisdeeroverpopulation #departmentofagriculture #departmentofagricultureofthecountyofmaui
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Bill Summary · HCR 200

Summary — HCR 200 (2025): Urging action to address axis deer overpopulation and increase access to USDA‑certified processing

Status: Concurrent resolution — Adopted in final form (House agreed to Senate amendment(s)) on May 2, 2025.
Introduced: March 7, 2025.
Primary sponsors: Reps. Takayama, Amato, Miyake, Kila, Iwamoto, Kahaloa, Perruso.
Companion: HR 192.

Purpose / intent

HCR 200 urges the State Department of Agriculture and the County of Maui Department of Agriculture to take “further meaningful action” to reduce the overpopulation of axis deer on Maui and to make locally‑hunted venison more available and safer for community consumption. The resolution emphasizes ecological harms from overgrazing (erosion, increased fire and flood risks), potential local economic and food security benefits from locally sourced meat, and barriers posed by current USDA inspection/processing requirements.

Key provisions

  • Urges the State and Maui County Departments of Agriculture to implement policies to:
    • Make USDA‑certified meat inspectors, certified inspections, and certified processing facilities more accessible, capable, and affordable for local hunters who wish to sell or gift venison.
    • Increase the number of in‑state USDA‑certified meat inspectors qualified to inspect game mammals.
  • Urges the State and County to convene a joint task force to oversee a County of Maui program that works with USDA‑certified processing facilities to investigate and develop plans to make processing and distribution of locally‑hunted axis deer meat affordable.
  • Requests the joint task force to submit a report — including accomplishments, barriers, findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation — to the Legislature by November 30, 2025.
  • Directs transmission of certified copies of the resolution to federal and state officials, county leaders, and relevant agencies (see “Recipients” below).

Who is affected

  • Primary: State Department of Agriculture; County of Maui Department of Agriculture; Maui County government and hunters who harvest axis deer.
  • Secondary: USDA (FSIS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, local food banks, meat processors, consumers of locally distributed venison, and agencies involved in land and natural resources and agricultural policy.
  • Note: As a concurrent resolution, HCR 200 is non‑binding and does not change federal USDA regulations; it requests and urges action by state and county agencies and seeks coordination with federal partners.

Procedural/timeline highlights

  • Referred to AGR, FIN; passed committee reviews (AGR passed unamended; FIN passed unamended).
  • Transmitted to Senate; amended (SD1) and returned April 17, 2025.
  • Adopted in final form May 2, 2025.
  • Task force report due November 30, 2025.

Potential impact and considerations

  • If implemented, measures could lower inspection/processing costs, increase venison availability for donation or sale, and provide another tool for population control of an invasive species—potentially reducing ecological damage.
  • Realizing these outcomes will require federal cooperation (USDA/FSIS) because meat inspection/processing standards are federally regulated; creation or expansion of in‑state FSIS capacity may require federal resources or approvals.
  • The resolution points to out‑of‑state models (e.g., Pennsylvania’s “Hunters Sharing the Harvest”) as precedents for donated venison programs.

Recipients of copies

Certified copies are to be sent to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; Administrator, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Governor; Chairpersons of State Boards of Agriculture and Land and Natural Resources; Mayor and County Council of Maui; and the Director/Chair of Maui County Department of Agriculture.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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