HB1783 - Historic Preservation

• Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish a citizen complaint intake hotline and develop informational materials including worksite posters explaining protections for burial sites and archaeological resources.

• Clarifies that commencing or continuing any project without written concurrence from the department as required under section 6E-8 or approval from relevant agencies under section 6E-42 constitutes a violation of chapter 6E, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

• Authorizes the State Historic Preservation Division to issue immediate work stoppage orders when violations occur and requires violators to pay all costs for site inspections and any mitigation or restoration measures.

• Increases maximum civil and administrative fines from $10,000 to $25,000 per violation and requires the department to maintain and publish a public list of violators with dates and locations of violations.

• Authorizes expenditure of historic preservation special fund moneys for enforcement costs of chapter 6E and requires violators to execute mitigation and preservation measures ordered by the department.