Bill Text: HI SB766 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Bill 766 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating To The State Snail.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-12-01 - Carried over to 2020 Regular Session. [SB766 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2020-SB766-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	766
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE STATE SNAIL.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawai�i's land snails have a significant role in native ecosystems that includes acting as fungivores that scrape fungus off of plants to promote plant health, as decomposers that break down decaying material for plant nutrients, and as a major component of intact watershed forest communities. Snails may also serve as a food source for other native species. In Hawaiian culture, snails such as kāhuli, pūpūkanioe, and pūpū kuahiwi have a significant role in native songs, hula, chants, and as a symbol of romance and omens. Furthermore, land snails are among the most threatened of all animal groups in the world, with more recorded extinctions than birds and mammals combined.

The legislature further finds that pūpū kuahiwi (Laminella sanguinea) is a snail endemic to Hawai�i and, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, critically endangered. This snail is one of only a few living representatives of the Amastridae family, the only extant endemic family remaining in Hawai�i. Pūpū kuahiwi has a zigzag color pattern, reminiscent of kīke�eke�e, a Hawaiian kapa pattern. This endangered snail is important for the preservation of native ecosystems and the Hawaiian culture.

The legislature finds that designating pūpū kuahiwi as the state snail will increase awareness of the imperiled status and cultural and ecological relevance of all Hawaiian land snails, preserve their cultural and ecological significance, and encourage continued conservation of Native Hawaiian invertebrates.

The purpose of this Act is to designate pūpū kuahiwi as the official state snail.

SECTION 2. Chapter 5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§5‑ State snail. Pūpū kuahiwi is established and designated as the official snail of the State."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

State Snail; Pūpū Kuahiwi

Description:

Designates pūpū kuahiwi as the official state snail.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.