Housing

signed · Hawaii · House Jul 9, 2026

HB 1740: RELATING TO THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

Repeals the prohibition against qualified residents for Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation-approved projects holding a majority interest in land and repeals the requirement that qualified residents demonstrate financial viability or ability to pay rent. Limits a qualified resident from owning a majority interest in no more than one property suitable for dwelling purposes, but requiring the disposal of such property within two years. Amends exemptions from statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules for certain housing projects developed by the Corporation that satisfy certain conditions, including requirements related to employment, owner-occupancy, and deed restrictions. (CD1)

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRemoves barriers for qualified residents to hold majority land interest and eliminates financial viability requirements, advancing affordable housing access under HHFDC programs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Housing

signed · Hawaii · House Jul 9, 2026

HB 1741: RELATING TO HOUSING.

Deems a county inclusionary mandate as a form of development exaction and treats the mandate as a housing affordability impact fee. Provides parameters for a county's adoption or amendment of an inclusionary mandate for residential or mixed-use development. Establishes additional components for a needs assessment study for a county-imposed inclusionary mandate. Conditions the adoption or amendment of a county inclusionary mandate for residential or mixed-use development on written findings of essential nexus and rough proportionality and a determination of financial feasibility. (CD1)

Topics ✗ HousingOpposes HousingBill prohibits county affordable housing mandates and inclusionary requirements, restricting tools to increase affordable housing development.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Housing

signed · Hawaii · House Jun 26, 2026

HB 1870: RELATING TO PROTECTED COMMUNITY LOCATIONS.

By 1/1/2027, requires all state and county agencies that operate protected community locations to adopt and post written policies that identify nonpublic areas, establish procedures for warrant verification and staff response, prohibit the collection of certain immigration-status data, and require annual staff training and certain multilingual notices. Requires the Attorney General to publish model policies. (CD1)

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill restricts law enforcement participation in civil immigration enforcement near community services (schools, health care, shelters), promoting trust and access to essential services while aligning with criminal justice reform goals of reducing ...85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill designates schools as protected community locations to limit immigration enforcement, ensuring safe access to education and protecting students/staff from disruption in educational settings.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProtects healthcare facilities from immigration enforcement, ensuring access to services without fear of deportation.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingProtects shelters (housing services) from immigration enforcement, ensuring access to housing for vulnerable populations in protected community locations.85% confidence ✓ ImmigrationSupports ImmigrationBill limits state/local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement near protected community locations (schools, health facilities), safeguarding immigrant access to essential services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Housing

signed · Hawaii · House Jun 26, 2026

HB 2309: RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT, 1920.

Amends the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended, to include children of a sibling as qualifying relatives of lessees for the purposes of lease transfer and lease successorship, in the same manner currently allowed for spouses, children, grandchildren, and siblings. (CD1)

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingExpands eligible successors for Hawaiian Homestead leases, strengthening Native Hawaiian housing access and preventing displacement under a dedicated affordable housing program.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Housing

signed · Hawaii · House Jun 26, 2026

HB 1721: RELATING TO HOUSING.

HB 1721 clarifies insurance, financial protection, and certificate of occupancy requirements to streamline expedited housing permits. It directly affects developers and local housing authorities by reducing bureaucratic delays in permit approvals. The bill establishes temporary rules that would expire on June 30, 2031, and take effect July 1, 2030. This is a procedural change focused on accelerating housing construction timelines through simplified permit processes.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingStreamlines permits to accelerate housing construction, advancing development timelines per bill summary and subjects like 'Expedited Permits'.85% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

signed · Hawaii · House Jun 24, 2026

HB 1718: RELATING TO HOUSING.

Limits mixed-use developments to transit-oriented developments. Repeals the sunset date of Act 45, SLH 2024, thereby making permanent the authority of the counties to share in facilitating the development, construction, financing, refinancing, or other provision of mixed-use developments, including low- and moderate-income housing projects, and issue county bonds before 7/1/2033 for this purpose. (CD1)

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingRepeals sunset date, making county authority for low/moderate-income housing development permanent and enabling bond issuance for housing projects.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill strengthens transit-oriented development by making county authority permanent and allowing mixed-use developments along mass transit systems, promoting sustainable transportation.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Housing

passed both · Hawaii · Senate May 12, 2026

SCR 184: REQUESTING THE HAWAIʻI CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION TO EXAMINE THE APPLICABILITY OF EXISTING STATE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS TO ALGORITHMIC AND AUTOMATED DECISION SYSTEMS.

This Senate Concurrent Resolution asks the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission to study whether current state anti-discrimination laws apply to decisions made by artificial intelligence and automated systems. The bill directs the commission to examine how these technologies are used in areas like hiring, housing, and credit, and to identify any legal gaps or challenges in addressing potential discrimination. The commission must submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Legislature by early 2027, which could lead to new rules or laws if needed. This measure does not change existing laws immediately but initiates an official review of how civil rights protections work in the age of automated decision-making.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill examines anti-discrimination laws for AI in housing, aiming to prevent algorithmic discrimination and strengthen tenant protections.75% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill examines AI discrimination risks in hiring and employment, strengthening worker protections against algorithmic bias in workplace decisions85% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill promotes digital equity by examining how AI systems may cause discrimination, ensuring technology serves all citizens fairly under civil rights protections.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Housing

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passed both · Hawaii · Senate May 12, 2026

SCR 11: REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION TO AMEND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 TO PROHIBIT DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND GENDER IDENTITY IN EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, EDUCATION, FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAMS, CREDIT, AND JURY SERVICE.

This Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR 11) requests the U.S. Congress to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to add explicit protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It seeks to prohibit such discrimination in key areas including employment, housing, public accommodations, education, federally funded programs, credit, and jury service. The resolution directly affects LGBTQ+ individuals who currently lack comprehensive federal protections in these contexts. Hawaii already provides similar state-level protections (through Act 40, 2022), but this resolution urges federal action to create uniform nationwide safeguards.

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill explicitly requests federal prohibition of housing discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity, directly advancing tenant protections per topic description.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly requests federal prohibition of employment discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity, directly strengthening workplace protections for LGBTQ+ workers.95% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

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passed both · Hawaii · House May 8, 2026

HCR 98: REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND LAND MANAGEMENT OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO DEVELOP A COUNTYWIDE HOUSING PATTERN BOOK TO STREAMLINE PERMIT APPROVALS AND REDUCE REGULATORY BARRIERS FOR SAFE, AFFORDABLE, AND WELL-DESIGNED HOMES.

This bill requests the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting to create a countywide housing pattern book containing pre-approved residential designs that meet safety and building codes. The pattern book would include various housing types such as accessory dwelling units and low- to mid-rise buildings, featuring culturally appropriate and climate-responsive design elements. By using these pre-reviewed designs, developers could access streamlined permitting processes to reduce costs and construction delays. The resolution also calls for a design competition to source innovative plans and requires collaboration with architects, builders, and community stakeholders. Once completed, the pattern book would be made publicly available to help accelerate the production of safe and affordable housing across Oahu.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill includes climate-responsive design elements and promotes efficient housing that reduces environmental impact through streamlined permitting and sustainable construction practices.75% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill promotes affordable housing by streamlining permits and reducing regulatory barriers for safe, affordable homes through pre-approved designs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Housing

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passed both · Hawaii · Senate May 8, 2026

SB 3219: PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE VII, SECTIONS 12 AND 13, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION.

Proposes constitutional amendments to expressly provide that the Legislature may authorize political subdivisions, such as the counties, to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds for specified public works, public improvements, or other actions necessary for housing and community development, and exclude these bonds from determinations of the funded debt of the political subdivisions. (CD1)

Topics ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill enables counties to issue housing infrastructure bonds without counting against debt limits, directly funding new housing development per constitutional amendment.95% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

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