H.B. 1051 - Visitor Green Fee Program

• Establishes a visitor green fee program requiring visitors age 15 and older to purchase a $50 environmental license before accessing designated state-owned parks, beaches, forests, trails, and recreational areas.

• Creates the visitor green fee special fund to collect license revenues and civil fines, with funds used to protect, restore, and manage natural and cultural resources impacted by visitor use.

• Establishes the Environmental Legacy Commission within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to recommend how revenues should be allocated, composed of government officials, environmental nonprofit representatives, Native Hawaiian cultural experts, and a young environmental sustainability professional.

• Allocates revenue for state agency projects (terrestrial and marine resource protection, climate resilience, invasive species control), grants to nonprofit organizations (up to 50% of annual revenue), and grants to local governments for offsetting visitor impacts.

• Appropriates $3,000,000 from general revenues for fiscal year 2023-2024 and $250,000 annually for two years to establish program staff positions; penalties for violations not assessed before July 1, 2028.