SB 2918: HCDA; Community Action Center; Chinatown; City and County of Honolulu; Matching Funds; Appropriation
- Session Year: 2025-2026
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2026-02-19
Current Status:
Failed
(2026-02-20: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Final Decking
Enacted
What does this bill do?
The bill requires the Hawaii Community Development Authority to establish a Community Action Center in or near Chinatown in Honolulu to support neighborhood revitalization. The center would hold community design workshops, work with local stakeholders, provide zoning, design, and permitting help, assess and analyze properties for preservation, reuse, or new mixed‑use development, and organize arts and facade improvement projects. It includes a $2,000,000 state appropriation to start the center, but spending is allowed only if matched dollar‑for‑dollar by the City and County of Honolulu.
The summary is provided by generative AI which can make mistakes. For original language, please view the details in the table below.
Requires the Hawaii Community Development Authority to establish a Community Action Center in Chinatown. Expenditure contingent upon the City and County of Honolulu providing matching funds. Appropriation. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
Requires the Hawaii Community Development Authority to establish a Community Action Center in Chinatown. Expenditure contingent upon the City and County of Honolulu providing matching funds. Appropriation.
|
THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2918 |
|
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
S.D. 1 |
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE HAWAII COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Chapter 206E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§206E- Community action center; established. (a) The authority shall establish a community action center in or near the Chinatown area of Honolulu. The community action center shall be a physical location and shall serve as a community resource for creating positive changes in Honolulu's urban core.
(b) The authority may contract with one or more nonprofit organizations to administer the community action center and complete the actions required by subsection (c).
(c) The authority shall:
(1) Identify and organize community stakeholders and other community-based organizations that may contribute to the community action center;
(2) Use the community action center to gather information about existing zoning, design, and regulatory constraints that inhibit development in Honolulu's urban core and disseminate drafts of alternative laws, policies, or rules to remove or reduce the constraints to members of the community for approval prior to proposal to the appropriate government entity;
(3) Open the community action center with a community design workshop exhibiting Chinatown's history from its origins as an important Native Hawaiian settlement to the present day;
(4) Use the community action center to provide design and permitting information to assist property owners, business owners, and developers who are considering property improvements to lands within Honolulu's urban core;
(5) Conduct at least two community design workshops per year to facilitate stakeholder participation in the requirements of this section;
(6) Assess the physical, social, and economic conditions of every property in the Chinatown area;
(7) Analyze existing uses of every property in the Chinatown area and its preservation, adaptive reuse, or new building potential to increase mixed-use and economic diversity;
(8) Organize art projects for vacant storefronts and street improvements in the Chinatown area;
(9) Organize projects to improve the facades of the buildings in the Chinatown area;
(10) Seek additional state funding to develop the Iwilei, Chinatown, and downtown areas of Honolulu into a living cultural tourism zone;
(11) Draft a strategic economic and physical revitalization design implementation plan for the Chinatown area with designated projects for Honolulu city council legislation; and
(12) Work with the Honolulu authority for rapid transportation to better design and integrate the Chinatown and nearby rail stations with their neighborhoods."
SECTION 2. No later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2028, 2029, and 2030, the Hawaii community development authority shall submit a report to the legislature on the:
(1) Status of establishing the community action center under section 206E- (a), Hawaii Revised Statutes; and
(2) Actions taken in response to the requirements under section 206E- (c), Hawaii Revised Statutes.
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the establishment of the community action center and the requirements of this Act; provided that no funds shall be expended unless matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by funds from the city and county of Honolulu.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii community development authority for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.
Report Title:
HCDA; Community Action Center; Chinatown; City and County of Honolulu; Matching Funds; Appropriation
Description:
Requires the Hawaii Community Development Authority to establish a Community Action Center in Chinatown. Expenditure contingent upon the City and County of Honolulu providing matching funds. Appropriation. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
|
THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2918 |
|
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
|
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to the Hawaii community development authority.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Chapter 206E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§206E- Community action center; established. (a) The authority shall establish a community action center in or near the Chinatown area of Honolulu. The community action center shall be a physical location and shall serve as a community resource for creating positive changes in Honolulu's urban core.
(b) The authority may contract with one or more nonprofit organizations to administer the community action center and complete the actions required by subsection (c).
(c) The authority shall:
(1) Identify and organize community stakeholders and other community-based organizations that may contribute to the community action center;
(2) Use the community action center to gather information about existing zoning, design, and regulatory constraints that inhibit development in Honolulu's urban core and disseminate drafts of alternative laws, policies, or rules to remove or reduce the constraints to members of the community for approval prior to proposal to the appropriate government entity;
(3) Open the community action center with a community design workshop exhibiting Chinatown's history from its origins as an important Native Hawaiian settlement to the present day;
(4) Use the community action center to provide design and permitting information to assist property owners, business owners, and developers who are considering property improvements to lands within Honolulu's urban core;
(5) Conduct at least two community design workshops per year to facilitate stakeholder participation in the requirements of this Act;
(6) Assess the physical, social, and economic conditions of every property in the Chinatown area;
(7) Analyze existing uses of every property in the Chinatown area and its preservation, adaptive reuse, or new building potential to increase mixed-use and economic diversity;
(8) Organize art projects for vacant storefronts and street improvements in the Chinatown area;
(9) Organize projects to improve the facades of the buildings in the Chinatown area;
(10) Seek additional state funding to develop the Iwilei, Chinatown, and downtown areas of Honolulu into a living cultural tourism zone;
(11) Draft a strategic economic and physical revitalization design implementation plan for the Chinatown area with designated projects for Honolulu city council legislation; and
(12) Work with the Honolulu authority for rapid transportation to better design and integrate the Chinatown and nearby rail stations with their neighborhoods."
SECTION 2. No later than twenty days before the regular sessions of 2028, 2029, and 2030, the Hawaii community development authority shall submit a report to the legislature on the:
(1) Status of establishing the community action center under section 206E- (a), Hawaii Revised Statutes; and
(2) Actions taken in response to the requirements under section 206E- (c), Hawaii Revised Statutes.
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $2,000,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the establishment of the community action center and the requirements of this Act; provided that no funds shall be expended unless matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by funds from the city and county of Honolulu.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii community development authority for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
|
INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
|
|
|
Report Title:
Community Action Center; Chinatown; HCDA; City and County of Honolulu; Matching Funds; Appropriation
Description:
Requires the Hawaii Community Development Authority to establish a Community Action Center in Chinatown. Expenditure contingent upon the City and County of Honolulu providing matching funds. Appropriation.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
|
Date
|
Status
|
|---|---|
| Feb 20, 2026 | Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. |
| Feb 20, 2026 | Reported from WLA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2605) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. |
| Feb 18, 2026 | The committee(s) on WLA recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WLA were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Lee, C., Lamosao, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Inouye ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Chang. |
| Feb 13, 2026 | The committee(s) on WLA has scheduled a public hearing on 02-18-26 1:01PM; CR 224 & Videoconference. |
| Jan 30, 2026 | Referred to WLA, WAM. |
| Jan 26, 2026 | Passed First Reading. |
| Jan 23, 2026 | Introduced. |
|
Date
|
Description
|
Location
|
Votes
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18, 2026 | The committee(s) on WLA recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS | Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2605
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2918
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2026
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 2918 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Hawaii Community Development Authority to establish a Community Action Center in Chinatown with the expenditure contingent upon the City and County of Honolulu providing matching funds.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from six individuals.
Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Community Development Authority.
Your Committee finds that Chinatown is the historic urban core of Honolulu and is in dire need of revitalization. Your Committee believes that creating a Community Action Center charged with organizing community, researching conditions, and developing a strategic implementation plan is needed. This measure will strengthen Chinatown's economy, public safety, and cultural heritage as well as capitalize on transit-oriented development and related opportunities.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
Your Committee notes the concerns expressed by the Hawaii Community Development Authority that the City and County of Honolulu should be the government entity to determine if a community action center is a priority and to carry it out rather than the Hawaii Community Development Authority. Accordingly, your Committee respectfully requests that subsequent Committees to which this measure is referred consider this issue.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2918, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2918, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts,
|
|
|
________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair |
|
|
|
|
|
Date
|
Testimony PDF
|
|---|---|
| Feb 18, 2026 | SB2918_TESTIMONY_WLA_02-18-26_.PDF |
Discussed in Hearing
17MIN
Senate Standing Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts
Bill Author
