HB 982 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO WILDFIRES.

Summary

Establishes a working group within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to conduct a study concerning the creation of a Wildfire Recovery Fund. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB982_HD3 → HB982_SD1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill was significantly rewritten to shift from immediately establishing a Wildfire Recovery Fund to first creating a working group that will study the proposal. The original version would have created a fund with administrative claims and securitization options, while the new version delays implementation until after a 2026 report is submitted.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from an immediate legislative mandate to create a fund to a study phase requiring a working group to analyze the proposal before any fund is established.

SCOPE

Removed the immediate establishment of the Wildfire Recovery Fund, the administrative claims process, and the liability caps for utilities.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement to convene a working group within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to analyze the proposal.

Added a requirement for the working group to submit a report with findings and proposed legislation to the legislature before the 2026 regular session.

Expanded the working group membership to include representatives from the Department of Commerce, Attorney General, Public Utilities Commission, consumer advocacy, insurance division, and utility cooperatives.

TIMELINE

Changed the bill's purpose from immediate enactment to a study phase, with the final decision on the fund deferred until after the 2026 report.

HB982_HD1 → HB982_HD2 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision updates the Wildfire Recovery Fund to clarify that it is a trust fund rather than a general state fund and restricts participation to public utilities only. It significantly alters funding by shifting shareholder contributions to cover administrative costs and consultant fees, while ensuring investment earnings are refunded to customers. The changes also introduce new rules for claim deadlines, define specific conditions for utility liability, and add a mechanism to penalize utility executive compensation if it violates financing order conditions.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed to apply exclusively to public utilities, removing eligibility for other entity types previously implied in the text. The definition of the fund was expanded to explicitly establish it as a trust fund outside the state treasury.

DEFINITION

Changed the fund definition from a general 'wildfire recovery fund' to a 'trust fund' to ensure assets are legally separated from the state treasury.

Renamed 'Qualified action' to 'Qualifying action' and 'Qualified damages' to 'Qualifying damages' for consistency.

ELIGIBILITY

Restricted participation in the fund to 'public utilities' only, removing the broader eligibility for other entities.

FISCAL

Modified shareholder contribution rules to allocate $5 million specifically for executive salaries and consultant fees, with the remainder going to the fund.

Added a requirement that investment earnings recovered from customers must be refunded annually to those customers.

REQUIREMENT

Extended the deadline for filing claims from a fixed date to a four-year period from the wildfire event, with potential for extension by rule.

Updated the definition of a 'covered catastrophic wildfire' to include non-frivolous legal allegations that a contributor's facilities caused or exacerbated the fire.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a provision allowing the commission to seize and deposit executive compensation increases into the fund if they violate financing order conditions.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.

upper

Mar 21, 2025

Committee

Reported from CPN/EIG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1343) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

upper

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EIG were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, DeCoite, Richards; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.

upper

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in CPN were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fukunaga, McKelvey, Richards, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Mar 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on CPN/EIG has scheduled a public hearing on 03-20-25 9:30AM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to CPN/EIG, WAM.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 312).

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 3 with Representative(s) Perruso voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Amato, Cochran, Garcia, Iwamoto, La Chica, Poepoe voting no (6) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos, Ward.

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Amato, Garcia voting no (2) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Reported from CPC/JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 776) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 4 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, Hashem, Garcia, Shimizu.

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Kong, Lowen, Marten, Tam; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Iwamoto; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Pierick.

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Committee

Reported from EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 230) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC/JHA.

lower

Feb 5, 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; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Quinlan, Ward.

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to EEP, CPC/JHA, FIN, referral sheet 6

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

Referred to EEP/PBS, CPC/JHA, FIN, referral sheet 3

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

5 primary · 1 co-sponsor