Honolulu, HI - Hawai‘i is the first state in the country to ban the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos with the signing of Senate Bill 3095 by Governor David Ige.

The bill, now Act 45, was introduced by Senator Russell Ruderman (Dist. 2 - Puna, Ka‘u). It prohibits the use of applying pesticides with chlorpyrifos without a temporary permit, until 2023, when it will be completely banned. It establishes restricted use pesticide-free buffer zones around schools during normal school hours. It also requires all users of restricted use pesticides to annually report the date and location where pesticides are applied and provides the Department of Agriculture with funds to conduct a pesticide drift monitoring study. The law takes effect starting January 1, 2019.

In 2015, Chlorpyrifos was determined to be unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency, which scientists have definitively linked to developmental delays in children and long-term health effects for those living in exposed areas.