HB 2618 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Summary

Establishes a Green Fee Special Fund to receive an allocation of green fee revenues. Establishes various special funds to receive allocations of green fee revenues. Requires the Governor to request, through a bill separate from the budget or supplemental budget, an amount that approximates green fee revenues subtracted from the amounts allocated to the various funds to be expended for certain climate change and tourism destination management projects. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 28, 2026 Last action Mar 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB2618 → HB2618_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends HB 2618 to create a new 'Green Fee Special Fund' and several other specific special funds to receive allocations from the climate impact fee (green fee). It clarifies that the Governor must request separate funding for climate and tourism projects only after subtracting the amounts allocated to these new special funds, ensuring dedicated money goes directly to environmental restoration. The bill also updates effective dates and reorganizes the legislative text.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general climate and tourism project funding to include specific, legally established special funds for watersheds, aquatic resources, cesspool conversion, and coastal restoration, each with defined purposes and reporting requirements.

FISCAL

Established a new 'Green Fee Special Fund' to receive specific allocations of green fee revenues for general climate and tourism projects.

Created four new special funds: Watershed/Biodiversity/Fire Resilience Fund, Aquatic Resources Conservation Fund, Cesspool Conversion Revolving Loan Fund, and Coastal Restoration Fund, each with specific deposit sources and expenditure purposes.

REQUIREMENT

Modified the Governor's expenditure request requirement to explicitly subtract amounts allocated to the new special funds before requesting general funds for remaining climate and tourism projects.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the Act to July 1, 3000, while retaining January 1, 2027, as the effective date for specific sections regarding project expenditures.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDT/WLA/AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 03-20-26 1:02PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to EDT/WLA/AEN, WAM.

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 128).

upper

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Kong, Muraoka, Shimizu voting no (4) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Gedeon; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

Reported from EEP/TOU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 726-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on TOU recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Tam, Templo, Hussey, Ilagan, Yamashita, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Holt.

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Perruso, Chun, Kusch, Quinlan, Matsumoto; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Kahaloa.

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to EEP/TOU, FIN, referral sheet 7

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to EEP, TOU, FIN, referral sheet 6

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

4 primary · 0 co-sponsors