HI HB2046

Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, City and County of Honolulu, and counties of Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai must collaborate on feral chicken management projects to manage populations, mitigate ecosystem impacts, and reduce disturbances to wildlife, plants, agriculture, and communities.

Feral chicken management programs must include beneficial use of carcasses for feeding homeless and hungry populations through retail and nonprofit options, with authority for ante- and post-mortem inspections, slaughtering, and processing.

Management programs must establish funding mechanisms including seed money sources, public-private partnerships, hunting fees, sales to local farms, cost recovery methods, and potential grant funding such as Clean Water Act funds.

Programs must incentivize live and humane capture of feral chickens through mechanisms such as redemption centers or capture rewards, and include measures to minimize diseased feral chicken populations.

Appropriates unspecified general revenue funds for fiscal year 2024-2025 to establish natural resources management specialist positions for feral chicken management; effective July 1, 3000.