This Senate Concurrent Resolution establishes a working group to study how Hawaii could create a state-recognized nonprofit organization to support endangered species sanctuaries and conservation projects. The group will be led by committee chairs from both legislative chambers and will include representatives from natural resources agencies and invited experts. Its main task is to research successful sanctuary models used in other places, examine how they are governed, and propose a structure for a new nonprofit that could help protect Hawaii's unique wildlife. The working group must submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislature by early 2027. This resolution does not create the nonprofit itself but sets up a process to develop plans for one.
This Senate Resolution asks state agencies to use bi-level lighting systems in all new state buildings starting January 1, 2027. Bi-level lighting adjusts brightness based on motion detection to reduce energy waste from lights staying on at full intensity. The resolution directs copies to various state officials and agencies responsible for construction and facility management. This measure aims to promote energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact through a specific building design requirement.
This Senate resolution asks the Hawaii State Department of Health to set up dust monitoring stations in and around Waimanalo Gulch, where a sanitary landfill is located, to measure airborne particles that could affect public health. The bill directs the department to install devices that track fine and coarse particulate matter, share real-time data with the public, and create a plan to notify residents if pollution levels become unsafe. It also requires the department to submit a detailed report to the Legislature within 20 days before the 2027 session, outlining the stations' locations, detected contaminants, potential health risks, and recommended mitigation strategies. The resolution involves coordination between the state health department, the City and County of Honolulu, and other relevant agencies to address air quality concerns in the area.
This bill establishes a joint legislative working group to study and design a statewide mattress stewardship program aimed at reducing landfill waste from discarded mattresses and box springs. The working group will include representatives from state agencies, county governments, mattress industry stakeholders, environmental organizations, and consumer advocates to develop recommendations on program structure, funding, and implementation. The group is tasked with evaluating extended producer responsibility models, collection systems, recycling pathways, and consumer protections, and must submit its findings and proposed legislation to the Legislature by the start of the 2027 session.
This bill encourages Hawaii County to work with the Puako community, the Department of Health, and other partners to finish the Puako Sewage Project, which aims to replace aging cesspools with modern wastewater systems. The project combines advanced wastewater collection technology with fiber optic internet infrastructure to address both environmental pollution and the digital divide in rural areas. By using a public-private partnership model, the initiative seeks to create a replicable solution that can help other communities across Hawaii tackle similar sewage challenges while restoring local coral reefs.
Establishes a Conservation Agriculture and Soil Health Incentive Program within the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. Requires an annual report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Establishes a PFAS Working Group within the Department of Health to investigate the existence and environmental dangers of per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Requires reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Restructures the conveyance tax to a marginal rate system for the sale of properties with residential use, adjusts the tax for multifamily properties to reflect value on a per-unit basis, and applies a cost-of-living adjustment to conveyance tax rates. Establishes the Transit-Oriented Development Infrastructure Subaccount within the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund. Allocates a portion of conveyance tax collections to the Transit-Oriented Development Infrastructure Subaccount and Hawaiian Home Lands Infrastructure and Housing Special Fund. Establishes and appropriates funds out of the Hawaiian Home Lands Infrastructure and Housing Special Fund. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
Amends the Renewable Energy Technologies Income Tax Credit by: Limiting claims for certain solar energy systems that are not third-party financed systems and installed and placed in service on a single-family residential property to taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $175,000 or less if filing as an individual, $262,500 or less if filing as a head of household, or $350,000 or less if filing jointly; increasing the maximum adjusted gross income an individual taxpayer must be below in order to be eligible to have any excess credits refunded and limiting credit refundability to systems that are not third-party financed systems; and prohibiting a taxpayer from claiming a credit for a renewable energy technology system installed and placed in service on a residential property where the taxpayer has claimed a credit in prior taxable years. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2026. Sunsets 1/1/2029. (SD2)
This bill recognizes 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in Hawaii, aligning with a United Nations designation. It directly affects ranchers, land managers, and agricultural organizations across the state by formally acknowledging the economic, social, and ecological importance of rangelands. The resolution encourages state agencies and the University of Hawaii to promote education and research on rangeland management while recommending policies that conserve rangelands and protect ranchers' livelihoods. Copies of the resolution are to be sent to state and local officials including the Governor, the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity, the University of Hawaii, and county mayors.
