HI HB455

Appropriates general funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources for the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 to support restoration, preservation, and management of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve.

Provides funding for two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) permanent positions for the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission, specifically to restore critical Kahoolawe Island Reserve Specialist II and III positions needed for safety, logistics, and on-island restoration efforts.

Recognizes that the commission's previous primary funding source, a federal trust fund established in 1994 for unexploded ordnance cleanup, was depleted by 2016 and that state revenues are necessary for long-term restoration activities.

Notes that the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission will transfer management and control to a sovereign native Hawaiian entity upon its recognition, anticipated within the 2026 strategic planning timeframe.

Takes effect on July 1, 2050.