HI HB2270

Restructures the existing Hawaii Invasive Species Council into a new Hawaii Invasive Species Authority administratively attached to the Department of Agriculture to coordinate statewide invasive species prevention, detection, response, control, and enforcement efforts.

Establishes a 9-member governing board composed of state agency directors, University of Hawaii president representative, and three governor-appointed members with expertise in invasive species research, agriculture/nursery industry, and native Hawaiian cultural conservation practices.

Authorizes the Authority to hire staff without regard to civil service requirements, maintain centralized invasive species data collection and management, develop an online public reporting system, and implement an interagency grants program for invasive species projects and research.

Grants state departments authority to enter private and public property to control or eradicate identified invasive species after reasonable notice, with provisions for court-ordered warrants and cost recovery from non-compliant property owners.

Appropriates $900,000 for fiscal year 2016-2017 for Authority positions and operations, plus $10,000,000 for interagency invasive species projects, with funds deposited into a dedicated Invasive Species Authority Special Fund effective July 1, 2016.