STAND. COM. REP. NO. 751-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1579

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1579, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LIGHT POLLUTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish, beginning July 1, 2027, outdoor light fixture requirements throughout the State to prevent light pollution.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Department of Education; University of Hawaiʻi System; The Outdoor Circle; Maunakea Observatories; and six individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Design and Construction of the City and County of Honolulu. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Matson Navigation Company, Inc.; Hawaii Transportation Association; and Young Brothers, LLC.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's dark night skies are a valuable natural, cultural, and scientific resource that support astronomy, Native Hawaiian cultural practices, public health, and the protection of wildlife. Your Committee further finds that excessive and unnecessary outdoor lighting contributes to light pollution that degrades these resources and undermines prior state efforts to preserve dark night skies through the Hawaii Night Sky Protection Act and subsequent statewide planning initiatives. Your Committee also finds that establishing uniform statewide standards for outdoor light fixtures, while providing appropriate exemptions and deference to county regulations, will help reduce light pollution, protect sensitive habitats, and promote responsible lighting practices across the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying curfew-hour lighting requirements by removing duplicative language and relying on a single, quantified dimming standard, while retaining flexibility for commercial operating hours;

(2) Clarifying the requirements for outdoor light fixtures that affect turtle nesting habitats;

(3) Clarifying how this measure is to be applied in conjunction with the State's Night Sky Protection Strategy, including specifying that the more restrictive requirement shall govern where both apply; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1579, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1579, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair