NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND BIOSECURITY
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO ADMINISTRATIVE RULES RELATING TO PESTICIDES
CHAPTER 4-66
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, pursuant to Chapter 91 Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), will hold a public hearing.
The purpose of the public hearing is to receive testimony regarding proposed amendments to Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) chapter 4-66. HAR §4-66 is being updated to conform to changes in the State’s Certification Plan that was approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in November 2022. Changes in the certification plan included requirements that mirror the Federal Regulations and requires replacing instances of “shall” to “must” to clarify what is required, not recommended. The State’s Certification Plan allows the Department to certify and recertify applicators to allow the purchase and use of restricted use pesticides. Additionally, HAR §4-66 is being updated to increase the maximum civil and criminal penalties in order to comply with Act 220, Session Laws of Hawai’i 2023.
HYBRID PUBLIC HEARING DATE is as follows:
DATE: Monday, April 27, 2026
TIME: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time
LOCATION:
In Person at Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity Conference
Room, 1428 S. King St., Honolulu, Hawai’i 96814.
Via Virtual Meeting (ZOOM). Webinar ID 867 6489 0218
The link to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86764890218
Phone one-tap:
+16694449171,,86764890218# US
+16699006833,,86764890218# US (San Jose)
Join via audio at one of the numbers below:
+1 301 715 8592 US +1 386 347 5053 US +1 669 444 9171 US
(Washington DC)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 507 473 4847 US +1 305 224 1968 US
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 564 217 2000 US +1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 931 3860 US +1 719 359 4580 US
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 689 278 1000 US +1 360 209 5623 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 253 205 0468 US
Webinar ID: 867 6489 0218
INTERNET ACCESS: To view and provide live oral testimony during the hearing, please use the above link. You will be asked to enter your name in order to access the hearing as an attendee. The Pesticides Branch requests that you enter your full name, but you may use a pseudonym or other identifier if you wish to remain anonymous. You will also be asked for an email address. You may fill in this field with any entry in an email format, e.g., *****@***mail.com. As an attendee, your microphone will be automatically muted during the hearing unless you are providing testimony. The hearings officer will individually enable each testifier to unmute their microphone. When recognized by the hearings officer, please unmute your microphone before speaking and mute your microphone after you finish speaking in order to prevent audio feedback. When testifying, you will be asked to identify yourself and the organization, if any, that you represent. Each testifier will be limited to two minutes of testimony.
PHONE ACCESS: If you cannot get internet access, you may get audio-only access by calling the Zoom Phone Number listed at the top on the agenda. Upon dialing the number, you will be prompted to enter the Webinar ID which is also listed below the list of dial in numbers. After entering the Webinar ID, you will be asked to either enter your panelist number or wait to be admitted into the meeting. You will not have a panelist number. So, please wait until you are admitted into the meeting. When the hearings officer asks for public testimony, you may indicate you want to testify by entering “*” and then “9” on your phone’s keypad. After entering “*” and then “9”, a voice prompt will let you know that the host of the meeting has been notified. When recognized by the hearings officer, you may unmute yourself by pressing “*” and then “6” on your phone. A voice prompt will let you know that you are unmuted. Once you are finished speaking, please enter “*” and then “6” again to mute yourself. In the event that connectivity is lost, and attempts to repair the connection exceed thirty minutes, the meeting may be terminated or continued to another date and time. Consult the webpage https://dab.hawaii.gov/blog/main/proposed-administrative-rules/ for updated information.
Attendance at the hearing is not necessary to submit testimony. Members of the public may submit written testimonies via the following:
E-mail to dab.pesticides@hawaii.gov. Please ensure the subject line includes the word “testimony.” Testimonies will be accepted until 6:00pm on Monday, April 27, 2026; or
Postal mail to Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture & Biosecurity, Pesticides Branch, 1428 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96814. Testimonies with the postmark date on and before April 27, 2026 will be accepted; or
Fax at (808) 973-9418. Testimonies will be accepted until 6:00pm on Monday, April 27, 2026.
The proposed rules are available for review in person at the following Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity offices during the regular business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, from April 1, 2026 to May 1, 2026.
Oahu: 1428 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96814 Phone: 808-973-9402
Hawaii: 16 E. Lanikaula St., Hilo, HI 96720 Phone: 808-333-2844
Maui: 635 Mua St., Kahului, HI 96732 Phone: 808-873-3078
Kauai: 4398A Pua Loke St., Lihue, HI 96766 Phone: 808-850-6209
Copies of the proposed rules may also be obtained at the above offices by paying a fee for photocopying or sent by mail upon payment of a fee for photocopying and postage. Copies may also be reviewed or downloaded at the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity’s website at
https://dab.hawaii.gov/blog/main/proposed-administrative-rules/.
Persons requiring special accommodations at the hearing may call Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity at (808) 973-9404 or a written request can be mailed to 1428 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96814. Accommodation requests must be received at least ten working days prior to the hearing.
The Hawai’i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or any other class as protected under applicable federal or state law, in administration of its programs, or activities, and the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity does not intimidate or retaliate against any individual or group because they have exercised their rights to participate in actions protected, or oppose action prohibited, by 40 C.F.R. Parts 5 and 7, or for the purpose of interfering with such rights.
If you have any questions about this notice or any of the Department’s non-discrimination programs, policies, or procedures, you may contact: Rae Gee, Non-Discrimination Coordinator Hawai’i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, 1428 S. King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814, (808) 973-9591, dab.titlevi@hawaii.gov
If you believe that you have been discriminated against with respect to a Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity program or activity, you may contact the Non-Discrimination Coordinator identified above.
To request language interpretation for this document, please contact: Language Access Coordinator located at 1428 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813 (Phone: 808-9739496) Email: dab.hr@hawaii.gov). Individuals may request oral interpretation services to request a written translation of this document.
If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, contact Rae Gee at (808) 973-9591 or dab.titlevi@hawaii.gov as soon as possible. Include a description of the accommodation you will need and tell us how to contact you if we need more information. Make your request as early as possible. Last-minute requests will be accepted, but may be impossible to fill. Upon request, this notice is available in alternate/accessible formats.
(1521271 SA/HTH 3/15, 3/29, 4/12/26; WHT/TGI 3/16, 3/30, 4/13/26)
