HB 975 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO CARBON SEQUESTRATION INCENTIVES.

Summary

Codifies and makes permanent the Hawaii Carbon Smart Land Management Assistance Program under the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB975 → HB975_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated to reflect House District 1 amendments, primarily adjusting the effective date to July 1, 3000, and modifying funding language to remove specific dollar amounts and FTE counts. A new restriction was added prohibiting participants from using program funds for carbon offsetting initiatives, and the definition of 'owner' was clarified to include lessees of eligible land.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the Hawaii Carbon Smart Land Management Assistance Program, but the applicability of the funding and program terms is now delayed until the year 3000.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the Act was changed from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 3000, delaying the program's implementation by decades.

FISCAL

Specific funding amounts ($2,000,000) and staffing levels (1.0 FTE) were removed from the appropriations section, leaving placeholders for future determination.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added stating that program participants cannot use compensation received to fund carbon offsetting initiatives.

ELIGIBILITY

The definition of who determines contract length was clarified to explicitly include 'lessees' of eligible land in addition to owners.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Reported from EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 768) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Perruso, Kahaloa, Kusch; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Quinlan, Ward.

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

Referred to EEP, FIN, referral sheet 3

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

4 primary · 0 co-sponsors