KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair |
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Senator Sharon Y. Moriwaki, Vice Chair |
NOTICE OF DECISION MAKING
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DATE: |
Thursday, February 19, 2026 |
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TIME: |
10:30 AM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 211 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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TIMESLOT: |
WAM |
PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY
A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.
A G E N D A
The following measure(s) were previously heard in their respective subject matter committees:
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RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. Allows a retirant to be employed without reenrollment in the Employees' Retirement System and without loss or interruption of retirement benefits if the retirant is employed as a law enforcement officer stationed at a public school as a school resource officer or investigator in positions identified by the Department of the Attorney General or Department of Law Enforcement or other law enforcement agency as a labor shortage or difficult-to-fill positions, subject to certain conditions. Requires the Director of Human Resources of the appropriate state jurisdiction or the human resources management chief executive of each county to include in their annual reports to the Legislature, details on the employment of retirants as school resource officers or investigators. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)
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LBT, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS TO ASSIST BANA PACIFIC INC. Authorizes the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds to assist Bana Pacific Inc. in constructing a biogas production facility. (SD1)
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EIG, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE RENTAL HOUSING REVOLVING FUND. Authorizes the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, with the approval of the Director of Finance, to transfer moneys between the Rental Housing Revolving Fund and its subaccounts without legislative authorization. Authorizes the RHRF to be used to provide any and all forms of financing for the development, pre-development, construction, acquisition, preservation, and substantial rehabilitation of rental housing units. Requires HHFDC to give preference to certain projects with perpetual affordability commitments and to applicants with a demonstrated history of early repayment to the RHRF. Requires RHRF loans applied for or awarded after 12/31/2026 to be subject to review and renegotiation when any mortgage debt to which the loan is subordinate is refinanced or retired. Authorizes the Director of Finance to transfer moneys from the RHRF to its Mixed-Income Subaccount for FY 2026-2027. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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HOU, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE DWELLING UNIT REVOLVING FUND. Establishes the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund Equity Program as a permanent program to be administered by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. Authorizes the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to purchase equity in for-sale housing development projects for qualified residents of the State using moneys in the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund to lower the initial purchase price. Establishes equity repayment requirements. Repeals the temporary Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund Equity Pilot Program established by Act 92, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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HOU, WAM |
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RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. Establishes a Conservation Agriculture and Soil Health Incentive Program within the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. Requires an annual report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. Amends the collective bargaining negotiation procedure on the repricing of classes within a bargaining unit for public employees. Establishes an impasse procedure to be applied when an employer fails to initiate the negotiation or the parties fail to reach an agreement within 90 days. Repeals existing law that requires a different impasse procedure to apply in those situations. Sunsets 6/30/2029. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)
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LBT, WAM |
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PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI, SECTION 3, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO INCREASE THE MANDATORY RETIREMENT AGE FOR STATE JUSTICES AND JUDGES. Proposes a constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory retirement age for justices and judges from seventy to seventy-five years of age. (SD1)
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JDC, WAM |
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MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES. Provides an emergency appropriation to the Department of Human Services to replace general fund appropriations redirected to provide emergency food assistance during the 2025 federal government shutdown. (SD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM. Establishes the Hawaii Dementia Initiative Business Recognition Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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EDT, WAM |
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PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII, SECTION 3 OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO SPECIFY THAT THE STANDARD FOR VOTER APPROVAL OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY THE LEGISLATURE IS A MAJORITY OF ALL THE VOTES TALLIED UPON THE QUESTION. Proposes to amend article XVII, section 3, of the Hawaii State Constitution regarding the standard for ratification of a constitutional amendment proposed by the Legislature, to require that a majority of all the votes tallied upon the question be a "yes" vote, and not include blank, spoiled, and over votes in determining whether a majority was reached. (SD1)
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JDC, WAM |
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RELATING TO HOUSING. Part II: 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. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Part III: Requires the HHFDC to make certain revisions to the 2026 Qualified Allocation Plan. Part IV: Prohibits the HHFDC from allocating Low-Income Housing Tax Credits or moneys from the Rental Housing Revolving Fund to projects without a perpetual affordability commitment. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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HOU, WAM |
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RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. Establishes the Kupaa Retention Bonus Program to be administered by the Department of Law Enforcement to provide $15,000 retention bonuses to eligible sworn law enforcement officers that have worked a minimum of two thousand hours during the preceding fiscal year, subject to collective bargaining negotiations. Requires the Department of Law Enforcement to report to the Legislature on the effectiveness of the Kupaa Retention Bonus Program. Appropriates funds for the Kupaa Retention Bonus Program. Sunsets 6/30/2028. (SD1)
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PSM, WAM |
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RELATING TO PURCHASE OF SERVICE CONTRACTS BY THE JUDICIARY. Beginning 1/1/2027, requires contracts for services awarded to community-based organizations by the Judiciary in support of fulfilling its statutory mandate to individuals, families, and communities in the State to include certain protections against inflation. Appropriates funds to the Judiciary to increase the contract price in existing contracts for certain services provided by community-based organizations in support of fulfilling its statutory mandate to individuals, families, and communities in the State. Effective 3/22/2075. (SD1)
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JDC, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY. Increases the number of associate judges on the Intermediate Court of Appeals from six to seven. (SD1)
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JDC, WAM |
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RELATING TO SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT. Establishes a temporary Solid Waste Management Working Group in the Office of the Governor to examine materials management policies and programs that reduce solid waste and protect the environment, and to present a list of alternative technologies to address solid waste management. Requires a report to the Legislature. Repeals 6/30/2027. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO HOUSING. Establishes a 5-year Hawaii Builds Pilot Program within the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. Authorizes the Corporation to deploy moneys from the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund for predevelopment activities or as active construction equity. Provides that a majority of housing units made available under pilot program projects shall comply with requirements established by HHFDC under section 201H-38, HRS. Mandates interagency coordination and expedited review for projects to facilitate timely delivery of projects. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2031. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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HOU, WAM |
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RELATING TO SPORTS TOURISM. Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to conduct a study of the potential economic benefits and costs of sports tourism in the State. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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EDT, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE MOTION PICTURE, DIGITAL MEDIA, AND FILM PRODUCTION INCOME TAX CREDIT. Increases the Motion Picture, Digital Media, and Film Production Income Tax Credit to 27 per cent of qualified production costs in counties with a population of over seven hundred thousand and 32 per cent in counties with a population of seven hundred thousand or less. Requires each taxpayer claiming the tax credit to submit an independent third-party certification verifying certain information to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Excludes qualified productions that incur at least $60 million of qualified production costs from the per-production total tax credit cap of $17 million. Increases the total amount of tax credits allowed to be claimed annually to $60 million. Defines "streaming platform" and amends the definition of "qualified production" to include certain streaming productions. Extends the sunset date of the tax credit to 1/1/2038. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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EDT, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF WELLNESS AND RESILIENCE. Establishes within the Office of Wellness and Resilience the Kakou Pilot Program to support families and children in need. Expands eligibility for the $50 benefit under the Child Wellness Incentive Pilot Program established by Act 127, SLH 2022, to include families ineligible for state Medicaid benefits. (SD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER. Appropriates funds to the Office of the Public Defender for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Deputy Public Defender III position.
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JDC, WAM |
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RELATING TO ENERGY. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to initiate the separation of ownership and control of electric energy generation services from transmission and distribution services through the adoption of rules. Requires reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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CPN/EIG, WAM |
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Decision making meeting only, no oral testimony will be accepted.
Persons wishing to submit written testimony may do so up to 24 hours prior to the hearing. Click here to submit written testimony.
All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.
For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please call the committee clerk at the telephone number listed below or email WAMcommittee@capitol.hawaii.gov. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.
FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored. If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808)586-6800.
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_____________________________________ Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz Chair |
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