REPORT TITLE:
Maui Invasive Species


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates $1 to the Maui invasive species committee.  (HB1665
HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1665
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MAUI
   INVASIVE SPECIES COMMITTEE FY 2000 ACTION PLAN.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that invasive nonnative
 
 2 plant and animal species pose significant environmental,
 
 3 economic, and health threats to Hawaii's native ecosystems,
 
 4 watersheds, agriculture, tourism, and the general quality of life
 
 5 of the people of the State of Hawaii.  The legislature further
 
 6 finds that the island of Maui is the location of many of the most
 
 7 intact federal, state, and private conservation lands in the
 
 8 State of Hawaii, which serve as essential habitat for the
 
 9 survival of nearly one hundred federally-listed endangered plant
 
10 and animal species.  Although both the department of agriculture
 
11 and the department of land and natural resources continue to
 
12 support and commit a portion of their budgets to "Operation
 
13 Miconia" - a cooperative, multi-agency effort to control the
 
14 spread of the invasive plant, Miconia calvescens, on both the
 
15 islands of Maui and Hawai`i - inadequate funding exists in either
 
16 department's budget to expand control efforts to other
 
17 significant invasive plant and animal species.
 
18      The legislature further finds that the Maui invasive species
 
19 committee is a voluntary partnership of government, private, and
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        


 1 nonprofit organizations aimed at eradicating newly established
 
 2 populations of nonnative pest species before they spread to
 
 3 epidemic proportions and before control costs become prohibitive
 
 4 and unfeasible.  The Maui invasive species committee has
 
 5 determined that the cost to implement its action plan goals for
 
 6 fiscal year 2000 is $769,794 and has subsequently submitted a
 
 7 grant proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for
 
 8 $206,200 in federal challenge funds that must be matched at least
 
 9 one-to-one by non-federal matching funds.  Therefore, in addition
 
10 to $175,000 of non-federal matching funds requested by the
 
11 committee from the county of Maui, it is critical that the State
 
12 provide adequate matching funding to maximize both federal
 
13 challenge funds and matching county of Maui funds in order to
 
14 implement the Maui invasive species committee action plan for
 
15 fiscal year 2000.
 
16      The purpose of this Act is to provide adequate funding to
 
17 match Maui invasive species committee-requested federal and
 
18 county of Maui matching funds in order to allow the Maui invasive
 
19 species committee to address, contain, and eliminate the threats
 
20 to native ecosystems, agriculture, watersheds, tourism, health,
 
21 and the general quality of life on the islands of Maui, Moloka`i,
 
22 and Lana`i created by several major incipient populations of
 
23 alien, invasive plant and vertebrate animal species.
 

 
Page 3                                                     1665
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        


 1      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 2 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof
 
 3 as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 for operational
 
 4 expenses related to the action plan of the Maui invasive species
 
 5 committee.
 
 6      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 7 department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this
 
 8 Act.
 
 9      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.