Rep. Nadine Nakamura

Addresses the change in federal law regarding Pell Grants by amending the Hawaii Community College Promise Program (Hawaii Promise) to provide scholarships for ninety-five percent of a student's unmet direct cost need and exclude grants, scholarships, and other funding sources from the calculation of Hawaii Promise awards, thereby allowing students to apply such funds toward indirect costs, including housing, food, and other living expenses, to reduce financial barriers and support student success. Changes Hawaii Promise from being a last-dollar award. Authorizes Hawaii Promise to coordinate with federal student aid programs to maximize total financial assistance available to students. Effective 7/1/2026. (CD1)

Maddy summaryHB 2296 reduces the minimum revenue requirement the Department of Education must recover from school meal charges in state-operated public schools. This means schools would need to cover less cost through meal fees, potentially allowing for lower prices or reduced financial pressure on meal programs. The bill directly affects all public schools managed by the Department of Education, changing how they calculate required meal revenue. It does not alter meal eligibility or nutritional standards, focusing solely on the financial recovery target.

Establishes a Cesspool Conversion Revolving Loan Fund, to be administered by the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, to provide financial assistance, including low-interest or forgivable loans, to eligible homeowners for the upgrade, conversion, or connection of cesspools. Appropriates funds for the establishment and hiring of a program management position and for the purposes of the Cesspool Conversion Revolving Loan Fund. (CD1)

Amends the Downpayment Loan Assistance Program by: removing the prohibition on combined loan-to-value ratios; clarifying the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation's authority to establish interest rates and allow payment waivers and interest forgiveness; authorizing financial institutions, mortgage lenders, and other loan originators to originate downpayment loans; and reducing the borrower's required personal contribution toward the downpayment. Authorizes borrowers to use a portion of a downpayment loan to pay for closing costs, prepaids, and reserves for the purchase of the residential property for which the downpayment loan is provided. (CD1)

Authorizes the Board of Land and Natural Resources to enter into community co-management agreements and establishes qualifications for eligible community co-managers. Authorizes the disposition of public lands by a community co-management agreement. (CD1)

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates supplemental funding to the Hawaii Judiciary for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. It provides additional budget resources to support court operations and judicial services during this period. The bill directly affects the Judiciary's budget planning and resource allocation. (Note: As a procedural funding measure, not a policy change, the summary is concise per guidelines.)

Requires the Attorney General, in consultation with the Criminal Justice Research Institute, to submit ongoing annual reports to the Legislature on the effectiveness of the habitual violent crime offense in addressing repeat violent crime in the State. Amends Act 213, SLH 2024, which established the offense of habitual violent crime, by requiring the Criminal Justice Research Institute to submit a one-time report to the Legislature on the effectiveness of the offense prior to the Regular Session of 2031 and extending its sunset date to 6/30/2031. (CD1)

Adjusts and requests appropriations for fiscal biennium 2025‑2027 funding requirements for operations and capital improvement projects of Executive Branch agencies and programs. (CD1)

Amends the expungement orders law to reflect that a person who is arrested for or charged with a crime but convicted of a violation is eligible for an expungement of their arrest record for that incident. (CD1)

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)