RELATING TO THE HAWAII INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL.

Budget

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: KAHALOA, BELATTI, CHUN, EVSLIN, GARRETT, GRANDINETTI, HOLT, IWAMOTO, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, KILA, KITAGAWA, KUSCH, LAMOSAO, LOWEN, MARTEN, MATAYOSHI, MIYAKE, MORIKAWA, PERRUSO, POEPOE, TAKAYAMA, TAKENOUCHI, TAM, TARNAS, TODD
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact amount beyond fiscal year 2026-2027.

Funding for Hawaii Invasive Species Council

This bill provides funding to support the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program and Hawaii Invasive Species Council in controlling and eradicating invasive species.

What This Bill Does

Appropriates $4,250,000 each for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program and Hawaii Invasive Species Council.

Who It Names or Affects

Native Resources and Fire Protection Program
Hawaii Invasive Species Council

Terms To Know

Invasive species: Plants, animals, or other organisms that are not native to an area and can harm the environment.
Biosecurity: Measures taken to protect a country's plants, animals, and people from harmful pests and diseases.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill only specifies funding for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.
It is unclear if the additional funds will fully cover all grant proposals received by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment appropriates funds from the state's general revenues to support the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program and Hawaii Invasive Species Council for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.

Appropriates money from the state budget to help control and eradicate invasive species in Hawaii.

The exact amount of funds appropriated is not specified, only that it will be 'so much thereof as may be necessary'.
The amendment specifies an effective date far into the future (July 1, 3000), which seems unusual and likely indicates a placeholder or error.

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: This amendment proposes to provide funding for the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program to address invasive species issues in Hawaii.

Appropriates funds from general revenues for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program.

The exact amount of funding appropriated is not specified in the amendment text.
The effective date mentioned (July 1, 3000) appears incorrect or symbolic and needs clarification.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-03-21 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
2025-03-21 S
Reported from WTL/AEN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1230) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2025-03-19 S
The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in AEN were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Richards, DeCoite, Rhoads, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2025-03-19 S
The committee(s) on WTL recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WTL were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Inouye, Elefante, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Chang, McKelvey.
2025-03-12 S
The committee(s) on WTL/AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 03-19-25 1:01PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
2025-03-06 S
Referred to WTL/AEN, WAM.
2025-03-06 S
Passed First Reading.
2025-03-06 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 207).
2025-03-04 H
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2025-02-28 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1148), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2025-02-24 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hussey, Ward.
2025-02-21 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Monday, 02-24-25 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-14 H
Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).
2025-02-14 H
Reported from AGR (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 643), recommending referral to FIN.
2025-02-12 H
The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Kahaloa, Kusch, Lowen, Perruso, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward.
2025-02-07 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by AGR on Wednesday, 02-12-25 9:30AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-04 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on AGR with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kong, Ward excused (3).
2025-02-04 H
Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 146) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to AGR.
2025-01-30 H
The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Lamosao, Belatti, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Morikawa, Poepoe, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Woodson.
2025-01-27 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by WAL on Thursday, 01-30-25 9:00AM in House conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to WAL, AGR, FIN, referral sheet 1
2025-01-17 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-16 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE HAWAII INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL.
HISC; Native Resources and Fire Protection Program; Viability Funding; Invasive Species; Appropriations ($)
Appropriates funds for the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program and Hawaii Invasive Species Council to ensure their long-term viability and continue to control and eradicate invasive species in the State. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB299

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

299

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the hawaii invasive species council
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that the Hawai
ʻ
i invasive species
council was created in response to the need for statewide coordination and
direction in addressing invasive species in 2003.
�
Hawaii was one of the first states to create an
invasive species council through state law.
�
The council's work is critical to support on-the-ground
response efforts to address some of the State's worst pests, such as the little
fire ant, coqui frog, and fungi that cause rapid
ʻ
ō
hi
ʻ
a death, and to
prevent the introduction of new pests, such as the africanized bee and red
imported fire ant, through its ability to coordinate with and across multiple
agencies and organizations.

����
The
legislature further finds that effective biosecurity at all levels requires a
collective effort among state, federal, and other partner organizations.
�
The Hawai
ʻ
i
invasive species council's allocation of funding every year is essential to
supporting partner organizations whose sole mission is to control existing
target pests in Hawai
ʻ
i,
the development of innovative tools and technologies, and continued campaigns
to increase community awareness and engagement.
�
Organizations and work funded through the
Hawai
ʻ
i invasive
species council are a part of Hawaii's overall biosecurity program.

����
The
legislature further finds that the Hawai
ʻ
i
invasive species council receives an annual net funding allocation of
approximately $5,750,000, of which approximately ninety per cent is redirected
towards its competitive grant program.
�

The remaining modest amount of funding is for the Hawai
ʻ
i invasive species
council's operating expenses, overhead, and budget and finance
restriction.
�
This funding allocation has
not increased in four years and covers less than fifty per cent of the total
amount of competitive grant proposals received.
�

The need for more funding is exacerbated by inflation, the high cost of
doing business in the State, and the need to attract and retain qualified staff
with competitive cost-of-living adjustments.
�

As a result, state funds are largely used only as bridge funding to
simply keep these strategic programs viable.
�

Partner agencies are largely limited to focusing on "invasive
species containment" rather than their "eradication".

����
The
purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for the native resources and fire
protection program and Hawai
ʻ
i
invasive species council to continue to control and eradicate invasive species
in the State.

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $4,250,000 or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so
much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the native
resources and fire protection program and Hawai
ʻ
i
invasive species council to address the invasive species crisis.

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the
department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 3.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

HISC; Native
Resources and Fire Protection Program; Viability Funding; Invasive Species;
Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates funds for the Native Resources and Fire
Protection Program and Hawai
ʻ
i
Invasive Species Council to ensure their long-term viability and continue to
control and eradicate invasive species in the State.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.