HI HB1503

Establishes a two-year agricultural theft and vandalism pilot project in Hawaii County to examine prosecution effectiveness for agricultural theft and vandalism cases

Department of Agriculture must partner with Hawaii County to hire 2.0 full-time equivalent enforcement officers within the prosecuting attorney's office or other law enforcement agencies

Pilot project must assess conviction rates, identify best practices for prosecution and prevention, determine hotspots for theft and vandalism, and make recommendations for a statewide program

Appropriates $200,000 for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $200,000 for fiscal year 2020-2021 to establish and implement the pilot project

Department of Agriculture must submit findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days before the regular sessions of 2020 and 2021, and determine whether to continue, expand, or end the project based on assessment results