S.B. 1173 Summary

• Establishes the ocean stewardship special fund administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to collect and use moneys for conservation, restoration, and enhancement of Hawaii's marine resources.

• Creates a $1 per passenger/customer ocean stewardship user fee to be collected by operators of commercial vessels, water craft, or water sports equipment with commercial operator permits; fee adjusts every five years based on Consumer Price Index (capped at 10% increase per five-year period).

• Fund receives deposits from user fees, lease revenues, fines and bail forfeitures for marine violations, compensatory mitigation moneys, grants, donations, and related income; excludes certain sport fishing fines and commercial fishing contributions.

• Fund moneys used for marine resource conservation, restoration, research, enforcement, education, mooring buoy infrastructure, and compensatory mitigation for permitted or violation-related marine impacts; 20% of collected fees paid to Office of Hawaiian Affairs as ceded lands revenues.

• User fee collection begins January 1, 2024; special fund sunsets and lapses to general fund on June 30, 2030.