House Floor

Will the house come to order? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.

Mr. Alcos, Ms. Amato, Ms. Belatti, Mr. Chun, Ms. Cochran, Mr. Evslin, Mr. Garcia, Mr. Garrett, Mr. Gedeon, Ms. Grandinetti, Ms. Hartsfield, Mr. Hashem, Mr. Hussey, Yes. Ms. Ichiyama? Yes. Ms. Iwamoto? Yes. Ms. Kahaloa? Yes. Ms. Kapela? Yes. Ms.Keohokapu-Lee Loy? Mr. Kila, Ms. Kitagawa, Mr. Kong, Mr. Kusch, Here. Ms. La Chica, Mr. Lee, Ms. Lowen, Ms. Martin, Mr. Matayoshi

Not present.

Ms. Matsumoto, Mr. Miyake, Ms. Morikawa, Mr. Muraoka, Mr. Olds, Ms. Perruso, Mr. Pierick, Ms. Poepoe, Mr. Quinlan, Ms. Reyes Oda, Mr. Sayama, Yes. Mr. Shimizu? Yes. Ms. Souza? Present. Mr. Takayama? Yes. Ms. Takenouchi? Yes. Mr. Tam? Present. Mr. Tarnas?

Present.

Ms. Templo? Here. Mr. Todd? Here. Mr. Woodson? Mr. Yamashita? Here. Madam speaker, 49 members are present. One is not present.

Item number two, reading of the journal. Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, may this matter be deferred?

So ordered. Item number three, messages from the governor. Mister Clerk, are there any messages from the governor?

Madam Speaker, there are none.

Item number four, Senate communications. Mister Clerk, are there any Senate communications?

Madam Speaker, there are none.

Members, are there any introductions? Representative Tarnas.

Thank you, Speaker. I would like to announce, to our members here, a very good friend. If I could ask the Maguire family to stand. These are my good friends, Patrick Maguire. I went to high school with him.

He actually helped me in my first campaign for student body president, And I won, all because of Patrick. So I want to introduce, Patrick McGuire, his wife Angela, and their children, Cassidy and Robert, all the way from California. Thank you very much for being here. Welcome to the Hawaii House of Representatives. Thank you.

Representative Kusch.

Thank you, Speaker. I don't get to do this too often, and I am proud to introduce my my first child who's always, you know, when you're a new parent, it's trying to figure it out and, she did great. She overcame all of my challenges and became a successful adult. I'm so proud. Ella Kusch, visiting from California. Welcome to your house of representatives.

Representative Kitagawa.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to introduce a couple of people or a few people. First, I'd like to introduce Dava Watson. Please stand. She is a Kaneohe resident and senior at University Lab School.

She's interested in environmental policy and sustainability and looking to go into law and public policy, maybe one day serving here in the legislature. And she's spending the day, of her spring break with me here learning about the legislative process and what we do here at the Capitol. So please help me in welcoming Dava to her House of Representatives. I'd also like to just recognize my staff again. They are here as we are passing out or hoping to do the budget today on the floor, and so I just wanna recognize them and thank them for all of their hard work.

My office manager, Wendy Okazaki, Ryan Kagimoto, who is a finance staff member, but who works with me on CIP, as well as Kristen Lee and Rich Seaman, who are my legislative aids, who've also held down my office as we worked on CIP. And also wanna wish Rich a happy birthday today. So welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative Kapela.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I can't see from my seat, but I believe they are up there. The sea of pink. Today is Take Down Tobacco Day. We have a number of students joining.

I was told about 85 students are here advocating for anti tobacco policy and to strengthen and protect, themselves and their peers. When you hear your name called, your school name called, please rise. We have students visiting from Pahoa High and Intermediate School, H.P. Baldwin High School, Maui High School, Maui Waena, Seabury Hall, Molokai Middle, Kauai High School, Kalani High School, Punahou School, University Laboratory School, Hawaii Pacific University, McKinley High School, Manoa, James Campbell High School, Kamehameha Kapalama, Kapolei High School, and should should've practiced this one. Honouliuli Middle School. And if there are any that I missed, please rise.

Thank you for your advocacy. Thank you for being here today, and welcome to your house of representatives. Finally, I would like also like to thank, Hawaii Pacific Health Institute for supporting, Takedown Tobacco Day.

Representative Gedeon.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today, I'm honored to recognize a good friend from my childhood, William Kaulana Elliott. William's the founder and creative director for Kuleana Commercial Advisors and serves as commercial designated managing broker for EXP Commercial. He's also a dedicated philanthropist, and a lineal descendant of subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom with roots to Sao Miguel in the Azores, Portugal. For his work, William's committed to improving our communities by prioritizing health, wellness, and safety, focusing on the highest and best use of of people, places, and resources.

William, welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative La Chica.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a couple of introductions. The first one is very special to me. She's a constituent, Donita Garcia. Please rise. But she has a special story. I interviewed her many, many years ago. Donita overcame a lifetime of addiction. She I remember her story because she was smoking cigarettes for almost fifty years.

And I remember she said she used to collect recyclables just to buy a pack of cigarettes. And she overcame that life, and now I believe she works as a tobacco cessation specialist and doing all of this work in advocacy. So please join me in congratulating her and welcoming her to the House of Representatives. Welcome, Sorry. Second introduction, I'm here to welcome the family of one of our awardees today for Complex Area Teacher of the Year.

So if you hear your name, please stand. We have Masato, Giusto, Mary, Maya, and Sarah. Please rise. And accompanying them are two of my interns that I am very grateful has chosen to spend their internship with us. First, I have Ina William, a Keiki Caucus intern.

She's attending Mililani High School and would like to attend Manoa to study political science. And I also have Anna Gregorio, a senior at St. Andrew's Priory who's got accepted at Tufts University and will be studying foreign relations. Might be a future ambassador someday. So welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative Reyes Oda.

Thank you, Speaker. I'd like to introduce from my office, my legislative aide, Makali'i Naaw, and my Keiki Caucus intern who is a district resident, but attends school at Mililani, Hannah Acereth. I'd also like to introduce two other people, one who I've introduced for three times because he's been in this building so much coming to all of our doors, Joshua Tom, a student at Campbell High School, but also his dad who calls himself his driver so that he can get to this building, Derwin Tom. Please join me in welcoming them welcoming them to the House of Representatives.

Representative Grandinetti.

Thank you, Speaker. I just quickly wanna introduce a constituent of mine, Emma Azuma. Please stand. Emma I met Emma at my first ever town hall. She was probably the only person there under retirement age.

And so now, she's really passionate about civic engagement, so she'll be shadowing me for the next day for the next couple of days. She's also the only 13 year old I know who is passionate about cesspools. I'm sure she'll learn a lot over the course of the rest of the week. It's an honor to have you here. I also want to recognize my legislative aide, Kate Tracy. Please stand. And my Keiki Caucus intern, Taylor, Wong. Welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative Todd.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We have many excellent folks working for the finance committee. Today we're joined by our newest budget staff member. We have Ansel Baer. He's been doing an excellent job. If you could please rise and welcome to your house of representatives.

Representative Kong.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd like to introduce three of the four interns, that I announced earlier this week. Brian Ku. Could you please stand? Do Hon Lee and Christian Kaneshiro. These are the best and brightest minds that I have ever met. Thank you. And welcome to your house of representative.

Representative Ilagan.

Thank you, Madam speaker. I didn't see him stand up, so he's also a former constituent. Jay Ihara, he's the Hawaii Island Tobacco Free coordinator. If you could please stand, as well as, hold on, hold on your applause. I see on my left side our state librarian, Stacy, Mallory, and I I'm not Mallory, could you please rise? And then the other, librarian, could you please rise? Carl's wife, welcome to your House of Representatives.

If there are no further introductions, let's move on to the order of the day. Item number five, floor presentations. Mr. Clerk, are there any floor presentations?

Yes, madam speaker. We have one floor presentation today. House Resolution number 202 Congratulating the 2025 librarian of the year, 2025 middle school principal of the year, 2026 school counselor of the year national finalist, 2026 Lelehua Mililani Waialua Complex Area Teacher of the Year, and 2026 IAM Moanalua Radford Complex Area Teacher of the Year. This resolution is offered by representatives Hasham and Woodson.

Representative Hasham.

Thank you, speaker. I would I move to adopt this resolution.

Representative Woodson.

Madam Speaker, second the motion.

It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. Any discussion? Representative Hasham.

Sorry. I rise in support of this resolution. It is my pleasure to recognize mister Matthew Brown as a 2025 librarian of the year. Mister Brown has developed devoted twelve years of service to the Hawaii State Library System and currently works as the managing librarian at the library for the blind and print disabled. Mister Brown works tirelessly on outreach, and the promotion of library services, including significantly growing the L B P D's book club.

Believing that public service believing that public access to the library is fun fundamental to our society. His passion for the library and its patrons goes beyond his responsibilities to anticipate and address the needs of the blind and the visually impaired community. Please join me in congratulating our 2026 librarian of the year, mister Matthew Brown. I yield to my colleague of from Kahului.

Thank you, madam speaker, our rights of support.

Please proceed.

Thank you. I am honored to recognize miss Jackie McCandless from Maui Waena Intermediate School as a 02/2025 Middle School Principal of the Year.

as a dedicated educator with 25 years of experience as an administrator, Mrs. McCandless believes everyone is a key player in the success of their school, empowering students and staff alike to become stakeholders involved in collaborative decision making. Her approach fosters ownership that strengthens her school community. Please join me in congratulating Jackie McCandless as the Hawaii Association of Secondary School Administrators, 2025 principal of the year. And I get to say about principal McCandless.

She's there on the weekends. She's there at night. And she pours her all out into her student. So we greatly appreciate her leadership. And madam speaker, I have another honoree. I am also honored to recognize miss Leika Anitema, the 2026 Hawaii School Counselor of the Year. The 2026 Hawaii School Counselor of the Year. As a dedicated school counselor at Maui High School in Kahului, miss Anitema is recognized for building a powerful school wide and community partnerships, and successfully connecting students with resources and mentors, collaborating extensively with colleagues, and tailoring sessions based upon identified classroom needs. Miss Anitema exemplifies the critical role of school counselors in shaping the students' future through her relentless work. I ask that you please join me in recognizing Miss Leika Anitema, the 2026 Hawaii counselor of the year.

And and and similarly, you know, what what I appreciate about Central Maui is everyone is together. And Lekka, as I call her, she is just a huge advocate of of the kids. And I told my daughter that she was being recognized on the floor, and she just texted me a backward, like with exclamation marks. So I appreciate all that she does. Thank you, madam speaker.

Representative Matsumoto. Thank you madam speaker. I rise in strong support of this resolution. It is my honor to recognize mister Christopher Justo as the 2025 Lelehua Mililani Waialua Complex Teacher of the Year. Madam Speaker, yesterday you shared with us a story of the special teacher that made a lasting impact on your life.

Today, I have the privilege of being able to honor that special teacher in my life here on the floor today. And he was not only my teacher, but he was also the teacher of the representative from Kapahulu, as well as the teacher of the representative from Wahiawa's daughter. So you can see the impact that he's had just with that. I had a really hard time writing the speech because there's so much I wanted to say about him as a teacher, and it still didn't feel like it was truly enough to capture his impact on the students, the school, and our community of Mililani, but I will do my best.

Mister Justo is a dedicated and passionate educator. I was blessed to not only have him as a teacher, but I was able to be in the first class on the first day he ever taught. And he was an amazing teacher from day one. From the beginning of his teaching career at Mililani Middle School to now 26 years later, Mr. Justo has embodied the very qualities of a complex teacher of the year. Including leadership, a passion for lifelong learning, and a lasting impact on students and communities.

Mister Justo is someone who cares for, inspires, and motivates his students to learn and do their best both in and out of the classroom. And even years later, and many cases decades later than he had them as a student. He pushed my classmates and I to always improve and to try our best. One story that illustrates his work beyond the classroom is when I tried out for the middle school volleyball team, and I got cut. I was devastated.

Mister Justo encouraged me not to give up. His advice and mentorship alone had an impact, but he took it a step further and put his words into action. Mister Justo would come out to the courts during recess and lunch for the rest of the year in order to work with myself and other classmates who wanted to get better. With his encouragement and support, I ended up making the volleyball team in high school and eventually became the captain of the team. This is just a small snapshot of who Mr.

Justo is as an educator. Today as a legislator representing the community where Mr. Justo continues to teach, I've had the opportunity to witness his leadership from a broader perspective. Every time there's a photo of mister Justo in my legislative updates, there is always an outpouring of people who want to share their stories of the profound impact he's had on their lives. His work at Mililani Middle School is nothing short of transformative.

He's the driving force behind innovative programs such as the school's agricultural tech curriculum that connects classroom learning with real world applications. He is known for bringing learning to life and organizing many excursions in the community to study the local environment. His career is a testament to the enduring power of great teaching. Therefore, if you can please join me again in recognizing mister Christopher Justo, the 2025 Lelehua of Mililani Wailela Complex Area Teacher of the Year. I now yield to my colleague from Aiea. Representative Kong.

Thank you, madam speaker. I rise in strong support.

Please proceed.

It is my honor to recognize miss Emily Mendoza as a 2025 Aiea Moanalua Radford complex area teacher of the year. Miss Mendo Oh, go ahead. Miss Mendoza, who teaches culinary arts at Aiea High School, challenges students to practice critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills through real world applications. Emphasizing the importance of community, miss Mendoza highlights projects like baking iron rich goods to support the student and teacher blood drive. Additionally, she provides her students with mentorship opportunities to engage with industry professionals, allowing them extra opportunities to learn, network, and grow their skills beyond the classroom.

I ask you to please join me in recognizing miss Emily Mendoza as a 2025 Aiea Moanalua Radford complex area teacher of the year. On behalf of the House of Representatives, I would like the guests to stand up in the gallery who have joined us to recognize our awardees. Are they here?

So ordered.

Hey. Alright. Thank you for your support, and appreciate all you do in helping these fine educators. And may I re may I request that their names be inserted into the journal?

Okay thank you very much

members all those in favor of the resolution say aye

the motion is carried representative Hasham please proceed with the certificate and lay presentation The chair will call a recess to allow members of the house to meet and congratulate the honorees. Recess. the motion is carried representative Hasham please proceed with the certificate and lay presentation The chair will call a recess to allow members of the house to meet and congratulate the honorees. Recess.

Will the house come back to order? Item number six, unfinished business. Representative Morikawa for the motion to suspend the rules.

Madam speaker, I move to suspend the rules of the House in order to consider certain House bills for third reading by consent calendar.

Representative Garcia.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any questions? All those in favor, say aye.

All those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. Representative Kahaloa.

Madam speaker, I move to adopt Standing Committee Report Number 1209-26, as listed on page one, and that the accompanying house bill, as amended, passed third reading.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion on HSCR number 2009-26? Representative Tarnas.

In support.

Please proceed.

I would like to encourage our members to support these measures. The budget for the Judiciary, and as your Chair of Judiciary in Hawaiian Affairs, this is the big budget that I have responsibility for hearing first and then sending to Finance. This budget is a modest increase, and I think Judiciary was being very responsible in their requests, and so, I appreciate that. But it also is specific to meet the critical security resources, the critical services to court users, and the critical staffing resources for the Judiciary to do their job. And I won't go into details here, but I do appreciate the Finance Committee's support for this budget moving forward, and I encourage all members to support this measure. Thank you.

Representative Morikawa for the vote.

[Roll Call]

Have all votes been cast? Said house bill passes third reading. Let's move on to item number seven, reports of standing committees. Representative Kahaloa.

Madam Speaker, I move to adopt standing committee report numbers 1210- 26 through 1214-26, as listed on pages two and three, and that the accompanying Senate bills, as amended, pass second reading and be referred to their designated committees.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion on these items, beginning with HSCR 1210, 1210-26? Representative Pierick.

No vote.

So ordered. 1211-26. 1212-26. 1213-26. 1214-26. Members, we will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor, say aye; all those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. Item number eight, third reading. Representative Kahaloa.

Madam speaker, I enthusiastically move that House bill number 1800, HD 1, as listed on page 3, 3, pass third reading.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion on this item? Representative Todd.

Thank you, madam speaker. In support

Please proceed.

Aloha. Was, we are mid-session and this draft supplementary budget has a long way to go. I'll avoid a long speech today and instead spend this time expressing my deep appreciation and gratitude to everyone who makes this place work. This is now my tenth session, and this past year has truly revealed to me just how much time, expertise, and energy goes into a bill like this and to keeping this whole place functioning. Anyone who comes out of this week pleased with how the committee has performed to this point in our session, all credit goes to those who go unseen and are here grinding away, giving their best every day to make things a little better. And for those who find themselves dissatisfied, I'll try to do better over the next couple months to live up to the standard that they are setting for me. As this is the second year of our biennium, HB 1800, HD 1, is a supplementary budget bill which tweaks the plan that we set forth last year.

Our tireless finance committee staff has spent months digging into the departmental budgets, oftentimes staying here late at night and sometimes into the early morning, and also on weekends to make sure that no stone was left unturned. It is through their commitment to making the state a better place that we present this draft to our chamber. This HD 1 maintains essential services in our state while finding some cost saving for taxpayers and advancing many of our house priorities, particularly around reducing the Department of Hawaiian Homeland's wait list, providing assistance for local farmers and small businesses, and protecting and perpetuating our coastal resources. We have a long way to go. I know there is still a lot of uncertainty on where we will land when we are here voting on a budget bill at the end of session.

Still, I am confident that we will find a way forward that provides ongoing tax relief for those who need it most, maintains our essential services, and balances our budget in a responsible and thoughtful way. Thank you to both the majority and the minority caucuses for their patience and understanding. We are all in this together, and the finance committee is looking forward to the work ahead. Mahalo.

Representative Kitagawa.

Thank you, madam speaker. In support.

Please proceed.

I'd like to just highlight a few things about the CIP budget which is included in this bill. This year's CIP budget includes about 1,400,000,000 in general obligation and general obligation revenue bonds, and about $4,400,000,000 when you consider all means of financing. These amounts also include appropriations that were made last year for FY '27. Similar to last year, the CIP budget contains many important items to help support our diverse communities and the many needs of our state. It focuses on continuing our efforts to increase the availability of affordable housing in our state, prioritizes the health and safety of our communities, and supports the next generation by providing funding for education, including from preschool through higher education.

I urge my colleagues to help and support this budget. Thank you.

Representative Matsumoto.

With reservations and permissions, insert written comments into the journal.

So ordered. Representative Alcos.

Same request.

So ordered. Representative Gedeon.

Same request.

So ordered. Representative Reyes Oda.

I rise in support with reservations.

Please proceed.

Thank you. I recognize the financial outlook for our state and the hard work it takes to put in these proposals, but I have concerns with the lack of addressing capacity issues in the Campbell Kapolei Complex. This complex enrolls more than one out of every 10 kids in the public school system, and it's home to the largest high school and the largest elementary school in the state.

My other concern is the request for two deputy superintendents in the Department of Education. I understand that the DOE is one of the departments that can create FTEs on their own without our agreement, but I've always given testimony in opposition to both of these positions at the Board of Ed, as far back as 2022, and as of today, I still have concerns. So, for these reasons, I vote with reservations.

Representative Garcia.

In opposition.

Please proceed.

I'd like to first, adopt the words of the previous speaker as my own.

So ordered.

Thank you. And a few comments, madam speaker. I know there's a long ways to go with this budget, and so, I'm not gonna give a long speech against it because I'm sure it'll change a lot as it makes its way through this legislature. But overall, it does increase government spending. It does add hundreds of million dollars in increases to government spending.

And it does take into account the will of this body to renege on the 2024 tax cuts. So, for those reasons, in opposition. Also, would like to echo the sentiments of the previous speaker in that there is no specific appropriation for the drastic need that resides within the Campbell Kapolei Complex in West Oahu. We have a, a high increase in in population. We keep building more housing that's been funded by this body and, and supported by this body, but the infrastructure is simply not keeping up with the growing population in my district.

And so, for those reasons, no vote.

Representative Souza.

Thank you, madam speaker. I rise in support with reservations.

Please proceed.

Just thank you to the finance chair for all of your hard work and the members of the finance committee this legislative session, as this budget bill continues to move forward and continues to evolve as session continues. I rise in support with reservations for House Bill 1800, House Draft 1, relating to the state budget. The state budget is where policy becomes reality.

It determines whether our priorities are actually funded or just simply talking points. This bill directly impacts the cost of living by shaping investments in housing, infrastructure, and essential services that families rely on every day. It affects whether working people can access health care, whether schools are adequately supported, and whether communities have the resources they need to stay safe and resilient. At its core, the budget is about trade offs. Every dollar allocated reflects a decision about who and what we prioritize.

This is the document that determines whether our state can function, whether we fund our schools, maintain our infrastructure, care for our most vulnerable, and keep Hawaii running in the face of very real and growing pressures. And those pressures are not abstract. We are staring down federal funding cuts that will continue to shift more burden onto the state. And what we are seeing in the news today only sharpens that reality. The Federal Government has issued a temporary waiver related to the Jones Act in response to fuel pressures.

That's not a routine move. That's a signal. It tells us that supply chains are under stress, that energy costs are volatile, and that for a state like ours entirely dependent on imported goods and fuel, we are essentially exposed when disruptions happen. That is the environment we are budgeting in right now. We are not operating under perfect conditions.

We are navigating uncertainty, external shocks, and rising costs that we do not control, but that we are still responsible for managing at the state level. These are real constraints, and they demand real solutions. As Hawaii News Now reported on 01/23/2026 in their online article titled, "Cost of Living Strategies Conflict at Legislature," and I'm gonna stray a little off script to account for floor decorum when referencing colleagues that have been quoted in this article, but the article stated, "Hawaii lawmakers say the cost of living remains the top priority this legislative session, but the two parties are approaching solutions from different angles. House Republicans announced proposals for significant tax cuts at a press conference with bills to eliminate the state income tax and the excise tax on food and medical care."

"Something needs to change. Something needs to make a difference so people can afford to live here in Hawaii," said the minority leader. The representative from Kapolei said, "The focus should be on spending, not revenue. People of Hawaii need relief from our regressive general excise tax," the representative from Kapolei said. "The problem isn't revenue."

"The problem is wasteful spending." When asked how they would balance the budget without the tax revenue, Republicans said it doesn't matter because Democrats won't pass the legislation anyway. And that last part is what brings me to the heart of this. At the very same time we are advancing proposals to repeal or significantly reduce major sources of state revenue, we are also standing here today debating the one bill that actually requires us to make the numbers work. House Bill 1800, House Draft 1 forces us to answer the one prime question, "How do you fund a state?"

How do you pay for schools, for health care, for housing, for infrastructure, especially when federal funding is uncertain and costs are rising? Because you cannot, on one hand, advocate for eliminating core revenue streams, and on the other hand, participate in building a budget that depends on those very revenue streams without reconciling the two. And when the response to that contradiction is, essentially, it doesn't matter because it won't pass anyway, that is not a serious policy question. That needs to change because that is barking with no bite. Now, I say that with respect for my colleagues.

We may not always agree, even within our own side, but we are all sharing the responsibility to bring forward ideas that are grounded in reality. And reality is what House Bill 1800, House Draft 1 demands. It demands that we operate within constraints. It demands that we account for federal instability. It demands that we make decisions that add up, not just politically, but fiscally. That is why, despite my reservations, I am voting in favor of this bill.

Because while it is not perfect, it reflects the seriousness of governing. It reflects a difficult balance of providing relief while maintaining the stability our state depends on. But moving forward, we owe the people of Hawaii more than proposals that sound good in isolation. We owe them complete solutions—solutions that acknowledge both sides of the ledger because our constituents are not looking for noise; they're looking for results. Thank you, madam speaker.

There are no further comments, representative Morikawa for the vote. Excuse me. Oh, Representative Cochran.

Yeah. Thank you, madam.

Didn't see you there.

That was—thank you, madam speaker, and I rise with reservations.

Please proceed.

Thank you so much. And I was, just a few minutes ago, a really hard no, but I had glanced through a really nice handout I was given by my caucus and in it, it states 3,000,000, not a huge amount, but 3,000,000 for the Lahaina bypass. And I have been begging and I have been praying for anything to reinsert that item.

And it finally has four years later, so I'm ecstatic. I think it, at this point, it's like a miracle that it's happening, and I fully support that. And that's one of the reasons why I changed my note to AWR at this time. But I do have concerns in the—about the, I, I mentioned it last the other day. State DHS and the State Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions, this body is—gave a passed the legislation to get an audit of such entity, last year.

And this year, twenty days before opening of this session, we were to receive a completed audit. That has yet to happen. And so, for me, my concern is this particular entity, which I have huge concerns, in, and I'll, I can explain in detail as to why, but I'll really try and, you know, solidify to the point where so there's a project in Lahaina specifically. I can speak with experience too. $186,000,000 has been expended on this particular project, and it's been paid to unlicensed contractors in this state.

And I have asked and inquired with respective departments like DCCA, their RICO Division. I have asked DHS, SO HHS, and to try and get answers, to try and get contracts, to try and get invoices, how this money has been expended. And I have firsthand knowledge and proof from people who worked on the project that actually got fired because they were trying to do the right thing and get to the bottom of correcting such non-compliances and things, and they now have left the state because they were not welcomed here for answering and inquiring. So, my problem here is that they have already been given last year, it looks like 24, let's see, so, 23,000,000, and then now, they're asking—or 24,000,000. Now, they're asking for another 13.

Until this audit is completed, you know, I just am not comfortable. I cannot in clear conscious and deepen my heart and soul to support any further funding. I have asked, speaker, your office for possibly this body to do an investigation, but I guess we have to wait till this audit is completed.

And at this time, auditor says he will not have it completed by the end of this session. So, it's, that—I take issue with that. And so, but then, the other parts that I really, really like about this, and hopefully, funding from the statewide type of statewide allocations go—part of it does come into Maui County. Another point in this budget is there's grants that go to counties and zero has gone to Maui County. There's three items for Kauai, there's two items for Oahu, and there's one item from Hawaii County, and nothing has come to Maui.

So, I'm not sure why, because in my particular district, we lost an entire town to a devastating fire, and yet, I don't see any allocations for a new library, a new school, any type of housing efforts from HHFDC, HPHA. I mean, the list goes on and on. But again, those are my concerns, but with the insight of 3,000,000 for my little old bypass, I am standing in reservations at this point, and as, as, you know, this is working through the process. So, thank you for this time, and appreciate everyone's efforts on the bill. Mahalo.

Representative Iwamoto.

Thank you, madam speaker. I rise in support with one relatively small reservation.

Please proceed.

Thank you very much. I wanna start with why I'm standing in strong support. On Sunday, March 8th, the Honolulu Star Advertiser Editorial Board evaluated our house finance chair's income tax reforms in its "our view" column, with the subheadings, "affordable crisis, pass rational tax reform for relief." The editorial board wrote, "Lawmakers must work out a more targeted schedule of tax changes that avoids handicapping the state's ability to provide services it expected to deliver, corrects the missteps of foregoing tax revenues for no good reason, and stays the course in seeking relief for households who need it most." It described the governor's solution, Green, by writing, "Green proposed freezing future scheduled tax cuts, but across the board, all scheduled benefits for lower income and wealthy residents alike would be stopped cold for the five years between 2027 and 2031."

They, they also compared it to the House version, which is this isn't the best way of addressing the issue. And the House Finance Committee was abundant—has abundant good cause to course correct. The committee unanimously voted in an amended bill that prioritizes continued relief for those earning median or lower incomes while preserving revenue for the state by raising tax imposed at Hawaii's three highest tax brackets.

The editorial board continues, "Todd correctly also expects high attention to off to other tax changes that may preserve state revenue streams and to areas where spending can be reduced. This is an absolute must. The legislature's attention focused on expenses such as Maui wildfire recovery efforts, which can't be ducked."

"This is the opportune time to get ahead of Hawaii's needs and make well-reasoned decisions on tax reform that also addresses tax spending priorities." And in their conclusion, they write, "Tailored strategic solutions are needed to buffer Hawaii's affordability crisis. These efforts to work outside to," I'm sorry, "To work out reasonable, workable tax relief and retain supports for those in need are on the right road." So, many, many here realize that the star advertiser is often considered to be—I consider it to be physically conservative.

So, I really appreciated their endorsement of our house finance chair's great work. Thank you very much for that. My only reservation, and I've stated, you've allowed me to say it this many times, is our overreliance on general obligation bonds, which, of course, we can try to reduce if we were to have implemented and move forward more of the, the taxing mechanisms or the bills that would have put more taxes on the wealthiest families and the biggest corporations, which all benefited from the federal one big beautiful bill, that was passed by the Federal Government. Thank you very much.

Any further comments? Representative Shimizu.

Thank you, madam speaker. I rise in support with reservations and,

Please proceed.

Thank you. I wanna acknowledge and appreciate all of the good comments that were made before me. I definitely wish we had more money and I actually pray for divine blessing and provision. But I wanna mahalo the finance chair, the committee, and staff for all of their hard work.

You know, we may not agree on everything, but as we try to achieve a balanced budget and, and make the tough decisions, I, I hope that our minority caucus can, can be a productive contributor in, in identifying more savings and reductions. But I, I feel privileged to be part of this body to be part of the, the process of getting there. Thank you.

Representative Pierick.

Thank you. No vote.

So ordered. Representative Yamashita.

Thank you very much, madam speaker. I rise in support and request to enter written comments.

So ordered.

Thank you.

Okay. Are we ready for the vote? Representative Morikawa for the vote.

[Roll Call]

Have all votes been cast? Said house bill passes third reading. Item number 9, announcements. Members, are there any announcements? Okay. Representative Morikawa for the motion to adjourn.

Madam speaker, I move that this house stand adjourned until 12:00 noon tomorrow.

Representative Garcia.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. The house stands adjourned until 12:00 noon tomorrow.