A state House committee on Thursday unanimously passed a measure that would require the state Department of Transportation and Hawaii’s four counties to scan the body of a deceased dog or cat found on a roadway for a microchip and report the information to county animal authorities.
The vote by the House Transportation Committee on House Bill 667 was 8-0.
The measure was introduced by Rep. Darius Kila, a Leeward Oahu Democrat and the Transportation committee chairman. There were nine co-sponsors, including Big Island Reps. Nicole Lowen and Chris Todd, both Democrats.
Kila said technical amendments will be made for clarity, consistency and style, and changed the effective date on the bill from July 1, 2025, to a placeholder date of July 1, 3000. He also noted that funding provisions in the bill are no longer necessary, because the DOT now has the chip scanners and will let the appropriate county agencies use them.
The measure also has been referred to the House Finance Committee, which hasn’t scheduled a hearing.
“Upon enactment by the Hawaii State Legislature, this act shall be known as the ‘Mila Microchip Identification Act,’” Kila said.
Mila was the pet puppy of a Waianae, Oahu, couple — Patricia Corpuz and Cole Smith — that was struck and killed on a roadway Nov. 6, 2024, after getting loose while the couple was at work.
The pup’s body ended up in a landfill and wasn’t recovered by the couple. Corpuz initiated an online petition seeking the microchip scans and owner notifications and collected 3,000-some signatures.
Corpuz testified in person Thursday “in the hopes that this actually goes through,” and became emotional four months to the day after Mila was run over.
“Pets are mandated, cats and dogs only, to have microchips. Then we should assume that all cats and dogs are microchipped,” Corpuz told the lawmakers. “We should have them scanned before taking them to the landfill and having this continuous long heartbreak that could be stopped with everyone’s help.”
All testimony, both written and in person, was in favor of the legislation — including the DOT, Pacific Pet Alliance and Hawaiian Humane Society.
Stephanie Kendrick, director of community engagement for the Hawaiian Humane Society, said she was “gratified to see DOT’s support for this measure” and hopes the counties are equally committed to it.
“I just want to underline the intense community demand for this information,” Kendrick said. “It’s a pet owner’s worst nightmare to have your beloved pet get out and be killed on one of our roadways. And the only thing worse than that happening is not knowing.”
A companion measure, Senate Bill 599, passed unanimously 4-0 on Thursday by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, with one lawmaker excused, and will be forwarded to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which hasn’t scheduled a hearing.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
