HI SB1296

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 (specific dollar amount left blank in bill text).

Appropriates additional general funds for two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) permanent positions for the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, including positions for Kahoolawe Island Reserve Specialist II and III to support safety, logistics, and on-island restoration efforts.

Recognizes that federal funding ($44 million distributed over several years) for Kahoolawe cleanup and restoration was depleted by 2016, requiring state funding to continue innovative management programs that use ancestral knowledge and modern resource management techniques.

Notes that management and control of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve will transfer to a sovereign native Hawaiian entity upon its recognition by the State and federal government, anticipated within the 2026 strategic plan timeframe.

Takes effect on December 31, 2050.