This bill, signed into law on June 26, 2026, formally ends the County of Kalawao as an independent entity and merges it into the County of Maui. The legislation addresses the future of the Kalaupapa Settlement after the last resident patients with Hansen's disease pass away, at which point the state Department of Health will no longer provide patient care there but will instead focus on environmental cleanup. To prepare for this transition, the law requires the Department of Health to create a plan that includes a community organization from Kalawao and a group from Molokai to manage the transfer of powers and duties. Additionally, the bill establishes a public process to gather input on the future governance of the area before finalizing the transfer of control to other governmental or qualified non-governmental entities.
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This bill, signed into law as Act 181, authorizes the State of Hawaii to enter into nonbinding international cooperative agreements with foreign governments, regional bodies, and intergovernmental organizations. The legislation expands the legal definition of partnerships to include agreements with foreign nations and prefectures, moving beyond previous limitations that focused primarily on sister-state relationships. These agreements are designed to support state initiatives in areas such as agriculture, climate resilience, renewable energy, and education without creating legally enforceable obligations or constituting treaties. Additionally, the bill requires the Hawaii sister-state and international partnerships commission to evaluate how these new agreements will enhance key state goals and mandates transparency by keeping the agreements subject to public input.
This bill, signed into law as Act 173, updates Hawaii's solid waste management goals to address organic waste reduction. It requires counties to include specific benchmarks in their waste management plans to reduce organic waste disposal by 40% by 2038 and 70% by 2043, with a target of eliminating such disposal entirely by 2048. The legislation also defines organic waste to include compostable plant and animal materials like food scraps and green waste, while instructing counties to assess recycling and bioconversion methods that account for invasive species risks. These changes take effect on July 1, 2026, and apply to all county integrated solid waste management plans.
This bill establishes a pilot program in Hawaii that allows hunters to donate axis deer meat to charitable, religious, or nonprofit organizations for feeding needy people. To participate, hunters must complete a specific training and certification program covering safe field dressing, disease identification, and proper meat handling. The program is limited to islands with populations between 150,000 and 200,000 and will pause if a disease outbreak occurs in the area. Additionally, the law clarifies that donated axis deer meat cannot be mixed with federally regulated meat or poultry products and restricts transportation to only the locations where the animal was killed, processed, or distributed.
This bill establishes a new Language Access Education and Workforce Development Program within the University of Hawaii to train qualified translators and interpreters for the state. The program will offer both credit and non-credit courses covering translation ethics, public service interpretation, and will include paid internship opportunities through the Hele Imua program. Priority admission is given to high school graduates who have earned the Seal of Biliteracy, while other applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one additional language. The legislation appropriates $375,000 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to fund three full-time staff positions and program implementation across three campuses.
This bill prohibits individuals and private entities from building, maintaining, or operating passenger or cargo ropeways, such as aerial lifts, tramways, and funiculars, across all land use districts in Hawaii. The law specifically defines these ropeways as systems that transport people or goods using cables or ropes and excludes elevators and small private systems under 100 feet long. A key provision allows government entities to operate these systems if they receive specific approval from the legislature. The legislation also includes a severability clause to ensure that if any part of the law is ruled invalid, the remaining sections stay in effect.
This document is an official notification from the Governor confirming that property transfers authorized by Act 218 have been completed and recorded. It informs the Legislature and the Revisor of Statutes that the Wahiawa Irrigation System has been officially transferred to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Agribusiness Development Corporation. The text states that these conveyances were finalized on June 22, 2026, fulfilling the legal requirements set out in the original act.
This bill, signed into law on June 24, 2026, updates Hawaii state statutes to govern the naming rights and revenue generation for a stadium facility. It explicitly allows the stadium authority to lease naming rights and permits advertising and marketing within the stadium, with all resulting funds directed into the stadium development special fund. The legislation also clarifies that state facility regulations do not apply to concessions under the stadium authority's jurisdiction and expands the list of revenue sources that must be deposited into the special fund. These changes take effect on July 1, 2026.
This bill grants Hawaii counties the authority to build, finance, and manage low- and moderate-income housing projects in the same way the state's housing finance corporation does. Under the new provisions, counties can acquire land, offer construction loans, guarantee mortgages, provide down payment assistance, and sell or lease completed units. The legislation also requires counties to accept affordable housing credits from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to help meet local housing requirements. While counties gain these expanded powers, they cannot issue state bonds to fund projects, and existing state laws regarding affordable housing obligations remain in effect.
This bill, known as Act 132, updates Hawaii's identification card application requirements to include a self-certification process for an applicant's gender designation. It mandates that all ID applications contain specific personal details, such as citizenship status, veteran status, and a digitized photograph, while removing the previous age threshold for parental signature from eighteen to sixteen years. The law explicitly states that individuals cannot be required to provide documentation proving their birth gender, relying instead on their own declaration of chosen gender. These changes to the identification process are set to take effect on July 1, 2027.
This document is a formal notification from the Governor of Hawaii to the legislature confirming that Act 129 was signed into law on June 24, 2026. The law modifies existing housing statutes to allow for rental agreements where the sales price is set at the start of the lease and remains fixed for a period of up to ten years. During this time, tenants have the option to purchase their rental unit at that designated price, but they must exercise this right within the option period or forfeit their right to remain in the unit. The bill directly affects housing participants by altering the terms under which they can rent and potentially buy homes.
