HB 295 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Summary

Amends the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended, to authorize the transfer of a living beneficiary's place on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' waitlist for any residential, agricultural, or pastoral tract to a qualified application successor who is at least one-fourth Hawaiian, if the beneficiary dies. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 16, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

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What changed between versions

HB295 → HB295_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act to clarify and expand the definition of 'qualified application successor' for beneficiaries on the waitlist. It ensures that when a beneficiary dies before receiving a tract, their spot can be transferred to specific relatives (spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, or certain other relatives) who are at least one-fourth Hawaiian, rather than the previous vague requirement of being at least one-twenty-fifth Hawaiian.

Scope change

The bill modifies the eligibility criteria for transferring waitlist positions from a broad, undefined threshold to a specific list of qualifying relatives meeting a one-fourth Hawaiian ancestry requirement.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed the ancestry threshold for successors on the waitlist from 'at least one twenty-five Hawaiian' to 'at least one-fourth Hawaiian'.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'qualified application successor' specifying eligible relatives: spouse, child, grandchild, sibling, or specific extended relatives if no closer relatives exist.

REQUIREMENT

Updated references in the statute to require successors to be 'qualified application successors as defined in section' rather than using the old, undefined threshold.

TIMELINE

Added a placeholder effective date of July 1, 3000, while retaining the original contingency dates for federal approval.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 6, 2025

Committee

Reported from HSG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 238) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Grandinetti, Kila, Kitagawa, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, La Chica, Pierick.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to HSG, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 16, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

7 primary · 0 co-sponsors