HB 1718HawaiiProcess complete

Counties must tie mixed-use housing projects to public transit

Hawaii counties must design mixed-use projects supported through these housing powers around public transit, and qualifying projects can finish despite later changes to those powers.

What it does

Counties can help build and finance projects that combine housing with other uses. Projects supported through these housing powers must be designed around public transit.

Mixed-use projects with county council approval or a binding county commitment before July 1, 2033, can continue to completion even if these powers later change.

The county bond provisions cover bonds first issued before July 1, 2033, with money spent after December 31, 2023. They survive scheduled legal changes in 2030 and 2031.

Argument forProtecting projects approved or committed before the deadline could help counties and builders finish housing despite later changes to their legal authority.

Argument againstThe transit requirement could keep counties from using these powers for mixed-use housing projects in places without suitable public transit.

More detail

Counties can support mixed-use projects under these housing powers only when the projects are designed around public transit. The requirement covers projects combining housing with other uses that counties build, finance, or otherwise provide under this section. Counties cannot use these powers to make the State issue general obligation bonds, a form of state borrowing, for a project. The law took effect upon approval, recorded as June 24, 2026.

Covered mixed-use projects can continue to completion even if these county housing powers are later repealed or changed. This protection covers mixed-use projects under the county housing powers, including the requirement that they be designed around public transit. The county must have council approval or a binding agreement committing it to acquire or develop the property. The council approval or binding agreement must be in place before July 1, 2033.

The law preserves the county bond provisions for bonds first issued before July 1, 2033. These limits cover the county bond provisions carried forward from Act 45 of 2024. The protections keep these provisions in place when the underlying section is rewritten on July 1, 2030, and July 1, 2031. The spending rule applies to county bond money spent after December 31, 2023.

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More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 20
Passed HouseMar 5
Passed SenateApr 14
To Governor
Became LawJun 24

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jun 24Act 130, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1231).Latest
2. Jun 24Act 130, on 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1231).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
5. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Wakai, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
9. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Hashem, Miyake, Yamashita, Cochran; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 117-26) as amended in (CD 1).
11. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
12. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 117-26).
13. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
14. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.
15. Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.
16. Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.
17. Apr 27Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.
18. Apr 24Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.
19. Apr 23Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.
20. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Evslin, Hashem, Miyake Co-Chairs; Yamashita, Cochran.
21. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
22. Apr 20Senate Conferees Appointed: Chang Chair; Wakai, Hashimoto Co-Chairs.
23. Apr 20Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 713).Minor
24. Apr 17Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).Minor
25. Apr 16House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
26. Apr 14Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
27. Apr 14Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 612) in amended form (SD 1).
28. Apr 10Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3709) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
29. Apr 10One Day Notice 04-14-26.
30. Apr 9The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
31. Apr 8The committee on WAM has added the measure to decision making scheduled on 04-09-26 10:55AM; CR 211 & Videoconference.
32. Apr 8Public notice requirement waived pursuant to Senate Rule 21.
33. Mar 30Reported from HOU/EIG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3296) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
34. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
35. Mar 24The committee(s) on HOU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HOU were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Hashimoto, Elefante, Rhoads, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on HOU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
36. Mar 24The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EIG were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, DeCoite, Richards, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
37. Mar 19The committee(s) on EIG deferred the measure until 03-24-26 3:02PM; CR 224 & Videoconference.Minor
38. Mar 19The committee(s) on HOU deferred the measure until 03-24-26 1:06PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.Minor
39. Mar 16The committee(s) on HOU/EIG has scheduled a public hearing on 03-19-26 3:02PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.
40. Mar 10Referred to HOU/EIG, WAM.Minor
41. Mar 6Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 42).Minor
42. Mar 6Passed First Reading.Minor
43. Mar 5Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 862-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
44. Mar 5Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
45. Mar 2The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
46. Feb 27The committee(s) on FIN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 03-02-26.Minor
47. Feb 27Bill scheduled for decision making on Monday, 03-02-26 10:00AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
48. Feb 24Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Friday, 02-27-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
49. Feb 19Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 538-26), recommending referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
50. Feb 19Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
51. Feb 17The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Morikawa, Belatti, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Woodson, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Poepoe.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
52. Feb 11Bill scheduled to be heard by WAL on Tuesday, 02-17-26 9:00AM in House conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
53. Feb 10Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on WAL with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on WAL. Result: pass.Lower
54. Feb 9Reported from HSG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 113-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to WAL.
55. Feb 4The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Cochran, Grandinetti, Kila, La Chica, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Kitagawa.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
56. Jan 30Bill scheduled to be heard by HSG on Wednesday, 02-04-26 9:00AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
57. Jan 26Referred to HSG, WAL, FIN, referral sheet 1Minor
58. Jan 21Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
59. Jan 20Prefiled.Introduced

HousingTransportation

Issue with this bill?

HB 1718HawaiiProcess complete

Counties must tie mixed-use housing projects to public transit

Hawaii counties must design mixed-use projects supported through these housing powers around public transit, and qualifying projects can finish despite later changes to those powers.

What it does

Counties can help build and finance projects that combine housing with other uses. Projects supported through these housing powers must be designed around public transit.

Mixed-use projects with county council approval or a binding county commitment before July 1, 2033, can continue to completion even if these powers later change.

The county bond provisions cover bonds first issued before July 1, 2033, with money spent after December 31, 2023. They survive scheduled legal changes in 2030 and 2031.

Argument forProtecting projects approved or committed before the deadline could help counties and builders finish housing despite later changes to their legal authority.

Argument againstThe transit requirement could keep counties from using these powers for mixed-use housing projects in places without suitable public transit.

More detail

Where do you stand?

Tell your reps

Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.

More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 20
Passed HouseMar 5
Passed SenateApr 14
To Governor
Became LawJun 24

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jun 24Act 130, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1231).Latest
2. Jun 24Act 130, on 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1231).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
5. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Wakai, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
9. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Hashem, Miyake, Yamashita, Cochran; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 117-26) as amended in (CD 1).
11. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
12. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 117-26).
13. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
14. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.
15. Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.
16. Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 10:00AM in conference room 224.
17. Apr 27Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.
18. Apr 24Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.
19. Apr 23Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 10:05AM in conference room 224.
20. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Evslin, Hashem, Miyake Co-Chairs; Yamashita, Cochran.
21. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
22. Apr 20Senate Conferees Appointed: Chang Chair; Wakai, Hashimoto Co-Chairs.
23. Apr 20Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 713).Minor
24. Apr 17Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).Minor
25. Apr 16House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
26. Apr 14Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
27. Apr 14Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 612) in amended form (SD 1).
28. Apr 10Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3709) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
29. Apr 10One Day Notice 04-14-26.
30. Apr 9The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
31. Apr 8The committee on WAM has added the measure to decision making scheduled on 04-09-26 10:55AM; CR 211 & Videoconference.
32. Apr 8Public notice requirement waived pursuant to Senate Rule 21.
33. Mar 30Reported from HOU/EIG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3296) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
34. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
35. Mar 24The committee(s) on HOU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HOU were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Hashimoto, Elefante, Rhoads, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on HOU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
36. Mar 24The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EIG were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, DeCoite, Richards, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
37. Mar 19The committee(s) on EIG deferred the measure until 03-24-26 3:02PM; CR 224 & Videoconference.Minor
38. Mar 19The committee(s) on HOU deferred the measure until 03-24-26 1:06PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.Minor
39. Mar 16The committee(s) on HOU/EIG has scheduled a public hearing on 03-19-26 3:02PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.
40. Mar 10Referred to HOU/EIG, WAM.Minor
41. Mar 6Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 42).Minor
42. Mar 6Passed First Reading.Minor
43. Mar 5Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 862-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
44. Mar 5Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
45. Mar 2The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
46. Feb 27The committee(s) on FIN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 03-02-26.Minor
47. Feb 27Bill scheduled for decision making on Monday, 03-02-26 10:00AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
48. Feb 24Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Friday, 02-27-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
49. Feb 19Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 538-26), recommending referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
50. Feb 19Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
51. Feb 17The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Morikawa, Belatti, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Woodson, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Poepoe.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
52. Feb 11Bill scheduled to be heard by WAL on Tuesday, 02-17-26 9:00AM in House conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
53. Feb 10Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on WAL with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on WAL. Result: pass.Lower
54. Feb 9Reported from HSG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 113-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to WAL.
55. Feb 4The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Cochran, Grandinetti, Kila, La Chica, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Kitagawa.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
56. Jan 30Bill scheduled to be heard by HSG on Wednesday, 02-04-26 9:00AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
57. Jan 26Referred to HSG, WAL, FIN, referral sheet 1Minor
58. Jan 21Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
59. Jan 20Prefiled.Introduced

HousingTransportation

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What it does

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Looking ahead

History

What it does

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More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History