STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1188-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2424

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. 2424, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND USE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to, between July 1, 2026, and December 31, 2028, authorize each county planning commission to petition the Land Use Commission for a district boundary amendment to reclassify certain lands within the agricultural district to the rural district through the declaratory ruling process.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one member of the Hawaiʻi County Council and Hawaii Food+ Policy. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; and Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau.

Your Committee finds that many small lot subdivisions within the agricultural district contain lots too small or ill-suited to support commercial agriculture, resulting in ongoing land use conflicts and regulatory uncertainty. Your Committee further finds that these long-standing nonconformities complicate county planning efforts and create confusion for property owners whose lands functionally operate as rural neighborhoods despite being zoned for agriculture. Your Committee believes that providing a temporary, structured process for counties to seek reclassification of these areas will help align land use designations with existing conditions while protecting agricultural lands that remain viable.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing the use of the Land Use Commission's declaratory ruling process with a county plan-based district boundary amendment process under Land Use Commission laws;

(2) Requiring consistency with applicable county general plans and community development plan land use designations;

(3) Clarifying that any petitions filed with the Land Use Commission on or before December 31, 2028, shall continue to be processed and decided after the measure is repealed; and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. 2424, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2424, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair