This bill, signed into law as Act 263, updates the compensation and employment rules for the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and the Hawaii Community Development Authority to help them compete for skilled staff. It raises the salary cap for the executive director of the housing finance corporation to 99% of the governor's pay and creates a new deputy executive director role with a salary cap of 95% of the director's pay. Additionally, the legislation exempts these agencies from certain state approval requirements for hiring and job descriptions, while establishing new conditions for their employment contracts. These changes aim to allow the agencies to offer more competitive salaries and streamline their hiring processes to better address Hawaii's affordable housing needs.
This bill authorizes the University of Hawaii to issue up to $28.5 million in revenue bonds to fund capital projects such as new construction, renovations, and repairs of facilities including classrooms, laboratories, and student housing. The funds will be used to address the university's infrastructure needs, with the principal and interest on the bonds secured solely by university revenues rather than taxpayer money. Additionally, the legislation requires the university to notify the legislature of specific projects funded by the bonds and includes a provision to assist financially needy students in offsetting potential increases in room and board costs resulting from the new debt. The act takes effect on July 1, 2026, allowing the university to begin financing these priority construction and maintenance efforts.
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.
This bill clarifies insurance and indemnification rules for architects and engineers participating in Hawaii's expedited housing permitting process to encourage their involvement. It requires professionals to carry specific liability insurance covering completed projects and provides indemnification for the state and counties against claims arising from their negligent acts. Additionally, the law mandates that state or county inspectors must actively inspect all projects receiving expedited permits to ensure compliance with approved plans. These changes aim to resolve ambiguities in a previous housing law that had discouraged design professionals from joining the fast-track system.
This bill requires Hawaii counties to publish building and civil engineering permit data on their websites in a standardized, machine-readable format to improve transparency and help address the state's housing shortage. Counties must update this data at least once a month and include specific details such as permit numbers, application and completion dates, property addresses, and whether the project is residential or non-residential. The law also mandates the creation of a statewide data standard in collaboration with state agencies to ensure that information from different counties can be easily compared and analyzed. By making this data accessible and consistent, the bill aims to reduce administrative burdens and support better tracking of permitting performance across the state.
This bill authorizes mayors in Hawaii counties to run four-year pilot programs designed to speed up and improve the quality of permit processing for housing and infrastructure projects. The key mechanism allows counties to designate specific permit review and processing roles as "essential permitting positions," which qualify for a minimum 15% salary differential to help attract and retain staff. Additionally, the program mandates that hiring for these critical roles be prioritized over other positions and requires job offers to be made within 14 days of an interview. Counties participating in the pilot must set aside funds to cover the extra pay, new hires, and potential performance bonuses tied to meeting specific milestones.
This bill formally notifies the Hawaii Legislature that Governor Josh Green signed HB2309 into law on June 26, 2026, amending the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920. The amendment updates lease conditions to clarify that original lessees must be native Hawaiians at least 18 years old and specifies rules for transferring leases to qualified relatives, such as spouses, children, or siblings who are at least one-quarter Hawaiian. It also codifies restrictions on subletting and outlines the specific circumstances under which lessees may mortgage their land interests with federal approval. Ultimately, the bill serves as a procedural record confirming the enactment of these existing lease provisions rather than introducing new policy changes.
This bill clarifies that individuals arrested for or charged with a crime but later convicted only of a violation are eligible to have their arrest records expunged. It amends state statutes to explicitly define a violation as an offense that is not a crime, ensuring these individuals can remove arrest records that might otherwise hinder their housing or employment opportunities. The law also outlines specific conditions under which expungement orders cannot be issued, such as when a conviction was not obtained due to bail forfeiture or if the person was involuntarily hospitalized. Additionally, eligible individuals may request the return of fingerprints and photographs taken during their arrest, provided they do not have a criminal conviction record or are fugitives.
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 updates the definition of agricultural districts in Hawaii to include a wider range of activities and facilities. It explicitly adds wind energy, solar energy, biofuel production, and farm employee housing to the list of uses that qualify as agricultural. The law also clarifies rules for solar facilities on certain land types and allows for agricultural tourism and recreational facilities within these districts.
