STAND. COM. REP. NO. 317-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1581

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1581 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WILDFIRE PREVENTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop a native plant nurseries and seed bank initiative program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; University of Hawaiʻi System; and Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Your Committee finds that the interim Wildfire Prevention Working Group was specifically tasked with identifying the causes of wildfires and preventive action that may be taken to reduce the risk of wildfires throughout the State and preparing recommendations for appropriate legislative action. This measure adopts a recommendation of the Wildfire Prevention Working Group to increase support for native plant nurseries and seed bank initiatives to provide inventory for watershed restoration projects and projects that restore ecosystems to natural fire patterns.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it choose to deliberate on this measure, to appropriate $500,000, as follows:

(1) $100,000 for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) position for a Statewide Native Plant Material Collection Coordinator to identify statewide need for collections, nurseries, and storage capacity; develop the Hawaiʻi Native Plant Materials Initiative; implement wild seed collections for habitat restoration projects in collaboration with partners; and provide progress reports. The coordinator will be responsible for statewide project administration and obtaining funding, developing appropriate protocols for sustainability in collecting, and public outreach;

(2) $100,000 for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) position for a Maui Nui Native Plant Material Collection Lead, who will function as the field team leader for the collection team on Maui Nui. The lead will manage staff, procurement, logistics, reporting, and communications;

(3) $150,000 for two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) positions for the Native Plant Material Collection Team, a two-person team on Maui Nui, who will conduct fieldwork at the direction of the Native Plant Material Collection Lead to assess populations, collect plant material, submit herbarium vouchers, and transfer propagules to the Seed Conservation Assistants for processing;

(4) $75,000 for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) position for a Seed Conservation Assistant, who will receive foundational seed collections, prepare each accession for research or storage, and transfer the collections to the Maui seed bank of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Department of Land and Natural Resources for storage; and

(5) $75,000 for equipment for transportation (off-road vehicles) and seed processing.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1581, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1581, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair