Gov. Josh Green is throwing his support behind a bill that would invest close to $20 million into strengthening Hawaii’s defenses against invasive species as it awaits a final floor vote from lawmakers next week.

House Bill 2619 would allow the Department of Agriculture to create new staff positions and fund programs to address the litany of invasive pests compromising Hawaii’s environmental balance and agricultural industry.

The measure was one of many introduced by lawmakers to address the state’s biosecurity program. Those bills came after more than a year of contentious debate over whether the Department of Agriculture is doing enough to stem the flow of invasive species into Hawaii and between islands.

Green called HB 2619 “a landmark piece of legislation” in a press release after it passed through conference committee Thursday.

The DOA’s response to the spread of little fire ants on Oahu and statewide spread of coconut rhinoceros beetles over the past year attracted scrutiny from lawmakers. The ants are known for their stinging bite and the beetles for their ability to decimate palm species, including coconuts.

Low levels of funding and staffing were among the explanations DOA staff gave for the problems.

The bill includes $2.5 million for little fire ant control and response and $1.5 million to address the beetles. It also includes more than $3 million for 44 additional positions.

That includes 22 Plant Quarantine Branch inspectors to oversee plant materials, which are a key means of transporting pests. And because the DOA is the only state agency with authority to regulate and control the pests’ movement, staffing is critical, said Christy Martin of the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species.

“If they don’t do it, if they don’t have the capacity to do it, then we’re all going suffer,” Martin said.

The department’s Plant Industry Division, which leads the state’s biosecurity work, has faced more than a decade of funding and staffing issues dating back to recession-related cuts in 2009. It has also been unable to fill all of its allotted positions for inspectors, among others.

DOA deputy director Dexter Kishida said most of those positions have recently been filled and he is confident about filling the new ones.

“We are going to start filling them as soon as we can … we actually have a few in the wings that we would like to hire but don’t have positions for.”

Rep. Kristin Kahaloa, who introduced the bill, said it also affirms DOA’s role as the lead agency in biosecurity efforts. It would also ensure that the DOA would be accountable, Kahaloa said.

As far back as 2002, estimates for fully funding Hawaii’s biosecurity programs have been in the tens of millions of dollars. The Legislative Reference Bureau estimated an additional $50 million was needed annually to adequately support biosecurity efforts.

Hawaii Farm Bureau executive director Brian Miyamoto has told lawmakers that number should be closer to $90 million in 2024 and would increase over time. But the $20 million is a “pretty darn good number,” Miyamoto said.

“I think this is a start to further legislation and further funding,” Kahaloa said.

Another measure that passed through conference committee Friday is Senate Bill 572, which would enable the DOA to declare a biosecurity emergency with the governor’s sign-off.

Emergency declarations would allow the DOA to swiftly control pest outbreaks by enabling the agency to halt the movement of pests and host materials between the islands and at ports of entry.

The bill also allows for the governor to requisition goods, property and watercraft.

“I wish we had this five years ago, or longer,” Kishida said. “This would be a really good tool in our tool box to take action and take action quickly.”

“Hawaii Grown” is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation, Ulupono Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.