S.B. 617 Summary

• Allocates $3,000,000 annually from transient accommodations tax revenues to the beach restoration and conservation special fund, with requirements to maintain a $7,000,000 fund balance once achieved.

• Expands beach restoration authority to include beach conservation activities and requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop beach restoration and conservation plans that incorporate county participation and public-private partnerships where appropriate.

• Renames the "beach restoration special fund" to the "beach restoration and conservation special fund" and permits deposits from leases of coastal lands, shoreline structures, private matching funds, and transient accommodations tax revenues.

• Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct additional studies when developing conservation plans, including socioeconomic profiles, environmental assessments, sea level rise effects, and coastal engineering studies.

• Allocates $3,000,000 of transient accommodations tax revenues to the special land and development fund to be expended according to the Hawaii tourism authority's long-range strategic plan for natural resource protection and visitor experience enhancement.