SB1164 establishes an Environmental Stewardship Fee Program within the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to charge visitors for a license before they enter certain state-managed natural areas, including state parks, beaches, forests, hiking trails, and other designated state lands. The bill’s stated purpose is to create a dedicated funding stream to protect, restore, and manage Hawaii’s natural and cultural resources, with the legislature framing the fee as a way to offset visitor impacts and support long-term environmental resilience.
The program would begin no earlier than July 1, 2027, after DLNR adopts rules. Visitors age 15 and older would be required to pay the fee and obtain a one-year license, with the bill contemplating online, mobile, retail, and nonprofit payment options. The bill also authorizes signage at affected sites, civil penalties for noncompliance, annual reporting to the legislature, and rulemaking authority for DLNR to adjust implementation details and potentially increase the fee over time.
The bill creates a special fund in the state treasury for fee revenue, fines, legislative appropriations, grants, and gifts. Money in the fund would be used for environmental restoration, climate resilience, invasive species control, native species propagation, program administration, enforcement, grants to counties and nonprofits, and matching federal grants. The bill also requires that these funds supplement, rather than replace, existing appropriations for the same purposes.
SB1164 would amend Chapter 171, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by adding a new part governing the fee program and by establishing definitions for terms such as “visitor,” “resident of Hawaii,” and “nonprofit organization.” It also includes appropriations for startup costs, program staffing, and development of a strategic plan, and directs DLNR to submit an implementation report to the legislature by December 1, 2025. The bill’s structure suggests it is intended to create a permanent administrative and fiscal framework for visitor-based environmental funding.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of the concept of visitor-funded environmental stewardship, emphasizing public trust duties, Native Hawaiian rights, and the need to address underinvestment in natural resource protection. At the same time, the bill’s referral history indicates it was still under active legislative consideration and had been re-referred to additional committees, suggesting that fiscal, legal, or policy questions remained unresolved. The main points of contention likely include the scope of the visitor license requirement, the amount of the fee, enforcement mechanisms, the timing of implementation, and whether the program functions more like an access fee than a conservation charge.
SB1164 would add a new statutory program to Chapter 171, Hawaii Revised Statutes, giving DLNR authority to collect visitor environmental stewardship fees, issue licenses, impose civil fines, administer a special fund, award grants, and adopt implementing rules. It would also create new reporting and appropriation requirements and establish a new administrative structure for funding environmental protection and restoration projects tied to visitor use of state natural areas.
The bill is framed in strongly pro-environment and pro-conservation terms, with the legislature describing the fee as a necessary response to visitor impacts, climate stress, and underfunded resource management. No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the available materials; however, the fact that the bill was re-referred to additional committees suggests it was still being scrutinized and had not yet reached final consensus.
The likely areas of contention are the mandatory nature of the visitor license, the breadth of locations covered, the amount of the fee, and the civil penalty structure. Stakeholders who may raise concerns include tourism interests, visitors, and possibly civil liberties or access advocates, while supporters are likely environmental groups, DLNR, and proponents of sustainable tourism funding. Additional questions may arise over how residents are verified, how broadly the fee applies to state lands, and whether the program could be viewed as an entrance fee rather than a conservation license.