HB581

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	581
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to hawaiian home lands.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The history of Hawaiian home lands is marked by the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, (HHCA) which was signed into law in 1921 by President Warren G. Harding. The idea for Hawaiian home lands began in 1893 after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole and other advocates led the effort to pass the HHCA.

The HHCA was intended to help native Hawaiians become self‑sufficient by returning them to the land and providing them with homesteads. The HHCA set aside about 200,000 acres of land for the Hawaiian home lands trust. This land is located on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu, and Kauai. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, Congress transferred title of the Hawaiian home lands trust to the State.

The State administers the Hawaiian home lands trust through the department of Hawaiian home lands (DHHL). In the decades since the inception of the HHCA, there has been much criticism of the program, mostly due to lack of housing units as evidenced by the over 28,000‑member‑long waitlist. In 2022, the legislature took its most aggressive approach to reduce the waitlist and appropriated an historic amount of funding totaling $600,000,000.

DHHL has been very diligent in efforts to maximize these funds and is on track to build more than six thousand units with the $600,000,000 that has been appropriated. Although this is an amazing feat, the department still has the task of building more units and getting more native Hawaiians back on their land as intended by Prince Kuhio. The current DHHL administration has shown considerable ability to fulfill this task as they are ready and capable to add thousands of additional units, subject to funding by the legislature.

The legislature finds that it is of utmost importance to fulfill our responsibilities under the HHCA and intends to provide appropriate funding to realize the mission of Prince Kuhio and return native Hawaiians back to their ancestral lands.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $100,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for new construction of housing units for native Hawaiians.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of Hawaiian home lands for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

DHHL; New Construction; Appropriations

Description:

Appropriates moneys to the department of Hawaiian home lands for new construction of housing units for native Hawaiians.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

HB 581: RELATING TO HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

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