HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Rep. Chris Todd, Chair |
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Rep. Jenna Takenouchi, Vice Chair |
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Rep. Daisy Hartsfield |
Rep. Dee Morikawa |
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Rep. Ikaika Hussey |
Rep. Amy A. Perruso |
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Rep. Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee Loy |
Rep. Shirley Ann Templo |
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Rep. Lisa Kitagawa |
Rep. Kyle T. Yamashita |
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Rep. Matthias Kusch |
Rep. David Alcos III |
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Rep. Mike Lee |
Rep. Joe Gedeon |
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Rep. Tyson K. Miyake |
Rep. Julie Reyes Oda |
NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Friday, February 27, 2026 |
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TIME: |
2:00 p.m. |
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PLACE: |
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE Conference Room 308 State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
Click here to submit testimony and to testify remotely or in person.
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A G E N D A #2
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RELATING TO LAVA ZONE INSURANCE. Establishes a Lava Zone Insurance Special Fund to subsidize the cost of insurance premiums for properties in lava zones 1 and 2. Defines lava zones 1 and 2. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE LIQUOR TAX. Replaces the defined liquor categories subject to the liquor tax with alcohol-by-volume categories, but with a separate rate for beer manufactured by a small craft producer pub licensee. Adjusts the liquor tax rates for inflation. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO DECEPTIVE PRACTICES. Requires merchants that sell cosmetics to accept returns of new or unopened goods within specified timeframes. Clarifies the definition of "conspicuous sign" and expands required placement of return and refund policy signage. Beginning 7/1/2027, requires merchants that receive three or more warning letters from the Office of Consumer Protection for failure to post required signage to display standardized return and refund policy signs provided by the Office. Establishes exemptions for certain merchants. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO CONDOMINIUMS. Excludes a homeowner-developer from the annual requirement to file a developer's report and pay a fee if the homeowner's development consists of no more than two units, one in which the developer resides and one for which the initial sale of the other unit has been completed. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT. Allows tax credits claimed under the State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program to be used to offset taxes imposed by the state transient accommodations tax law. Specifies that tax credit amounts applied to state transient accommodations taxes be limited to state transient accommodations taxes imposed in the same county in which the qualified low-income building is located. Makes permanent Act 129, SLH 2016. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, TOU/ECD, FIN |
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RELATING TO HOUSING. Amends, for purposes of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation's Rent-to-Own Program, the period during which the sales price of a dwelling unit is required to remain fixed from five years to an option period to be determined by the Corporation. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO SCHOOL IMPACT FEES. Repeals school impact fees. Abolishes and transfers unencumbered balances of the school impact fee subaccounts and certain fair share contribution accounts to School Facilities Special Fund. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. Authorizes HHFDC to designate certain for-sale units as permanently affordable housing, subject to certain restrictions. Clarifies that certain resale and occupancy restrictions apply only to projects developed prior to a certain date. Amends the definition of "qualified resident" for the purposes of HHFDC housing development programs. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO HOUSING. Repeals the sunset date of Act 45, SLH 2024, thereby making permanent the authority of the counties to share in facilitating the development, construction, financing, refinancing, or other provision of mixed-use developments, including low- and moderate-income housing projects, and issue county bonds for this purpose. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, WAL, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Makes the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund Equity Pilot Program permanent, with modifications that include changing the method for computation of interest for purchasers of certain real property. Expands the use of proceeds in the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund to include purchasing equity in for-sale housing development projects and interim primary or secondary financing. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO BUILDING CODES. Part I: Fixes the applicable building codes, standards, and county amendments for the life of a building permit, subject to certain exceptions and rules. Part II: Specifies the applicability of the International Residential Code. Authorizes a county to adopt amendments to the Hawaii state building code, under certain circumstances, and repeals the counties' existing authority to amend or adopt the buildings code without council approval. Changes the adoption of the Hawaii state building code from a two-year cycle to a six-year cycle. Part III: Appropriates funds for the State Building Code Council for staffing and necessary consultant services. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG/WAL, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE RENTAL HOUSING REVOLVING FUND. Specifies the conditions upon which the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation may transfer moneys from within the Rental Housing Revolving Fund to a subaccount and between subaccounts of the fund. Clarifies what constitutes a mixed-income rental project for purposes of loans funded through the Mixed-Income Subaccount. Repeals the sunset date for the Mixed-Income Subaccount. Authorizes the Director of Finance to deposit rental housing revolving funds into, and appropriates funds into and out of, the Mixed-Income Subaccount. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Removes the prohibition against qualified residents for Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation-approved projects holding a majority interest in land and removes the requirement that qualified residents demonstrate financial viability or ability to pay rent. Amends exemptions from statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules for certain housing projects developed by the Corporation that satisfy certain conditions, including requirements related to employment, owner-occupancy, and deed restrictions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, WAL, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE INDIVIDUAL HOUSING ACCOUNT PROGRAM. For taxable years beginning after 12/31/2026, increases the maximum annual deduction for contributions to, and maximum account levels for, individual housing accounts. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. Amends Act 289, SLH 2025, to replace the Senior Residence at Iwilei parcel with the Westridge parcel, change the transfer date for the Alii Tower parcel to 12/31/2026, change the deadline for approval by the City and County of Honolulu to 12/31/2027, and change the repeal date to 1/1/2028. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HSG, WAL, FIN |
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RELATING TO HOUSING. Establishes a working group to revise the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation's Qualified Allocation Plan and propose revisions to the prioritization of the Rental Housing Revolving Fund and the terms of loans made from the Rental Housing Revolving Fund. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE LOW-INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT. Clarifies that a partner or member that is a partnership or limited liability company that has been allocated a low-income housing tax credit may either further allocate the credit or transfer, sell, or assign all or a portion of the credit to any taxpayer. Extends the sunset date of Act 129, SLH 2016, relating to the low-income housing tax credit, until 12/31/2032. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2026. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE DOWNPAYMENT LOAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. Amends the Downpayment Loan Assistance Program by: removing the prohibition on combined loan-to-value ratios; clarifying the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation's authority to allow payment waivers and interest forgiveness; authorizing financial institutions, mortgage lenders and other loan originators to originate downpayment loans; and reducing the borrower's required personal contribution toward the downpayment. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO HOUSING. Authorizes the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to approve and certify general excise tax exemptions for certain housing development projects developed under county housing incentive programs. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HSG, ECD, FIN |
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RELATING TO TAXATION. Increases the tax credit for low-income household renters from $50 to $170 per exemption claimed by the taxpayer. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HSG, ECD, FIN |
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PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE VII, SECTIONS 12 AND 13, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION. Proposes constitutional amendments to expressly provide that the Legislature may authorize political subdivisions, such as the counties, to issue housing infrastructure growth bonds for specified public works, public improvements, or other actions necessary for housing and community development, and exclude these bonds from determinations of the funded debt of the political subdivisions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HSG, JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO BONDS. Authorizes the counties to implement housing infrastructure growth bonds. Conforms county debt limit statements law to permit counties to exclude housing infrastructure growth bonds from the debt limit of the counties if a constitutional amendment authorizing the use of housing infrastructure growth bonds and excluding housing infrastructure growth bonds from determinations of the counties' funded debt is ratified. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO WORKFORCE HOUSING. Establishes the Workforce Housing Regulatory Sandbox Program. Establishes an advisory council within the Workforce Housing Regulatory Sandbox Program to advise on environmental and cultural practices within specific developments. Requires reports to the legislature. Appropriates funds. Repeals 6/30/2031. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HSG, FIN |
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RELATING TO OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION. Implements certain recommendations of the SPEED Task Force. Establishes a working group within the State Building Code Council to develop proposals for an off-site construction program. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HSG, WAL, FIN |
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DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW
Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Testimony received after this time will be stamped late and left to the discretion of the chair to consider. While every effort will be made to incorporate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed, may not be processed.
Testimony submitted will be placed on the legislative website. This public posting of testimony on the website should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.
The chair may institute a per-testifier time limit.
Committees meeting in the morning must adjourn prior to the day's Floor Session. Therefore, due to time constraints, not all testifiers may be provided an opportunity to offer verbal comments. However, written submissions will be considered by the committee.
Please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior. Violations may result in ejection from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.
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FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are bolded.
For more information, please contact the Committee Clerk at (808) 586-6200.
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________________________________________ Rep. Chris Todd Chair |
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