STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1753

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 606

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 606, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOMELANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to facilitate the provision of housing for Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Extends the sunset date for the Act 279 special fund from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2028;

(2) Requires the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to submit to the Legislature:

(A) No later than December 10, 2025, a strategic plan relating to waitlisted beneficiaries and infrastructure and land development projects; and

(B) Annual reports relating expenditures, progress on certain activities, and waitlisted beneficiaries; and

(3) Appropriates moneys into and out of the Act 279 special fund for the purposes of the measure and the purposes of Act 279, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, ACLU of Hawaii, Kuleana Ka Aina, Ka Lahui Hawaii, and nine individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands currently requires funding for repairs, maintenance, and mercantile projects.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting an unspecified appropriation to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, to be allocated as follows:

(1) $25,000,000 for lump sum repair and maintenance; and

(2) $25,000,000 for mercantile projects pursuant to section 207(c)(1)(B) of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended.

Your Committee notes that the aggregated amount of allocated funding in the amended measure is at the same funding level set by the Committees on Hawaiian Affairs and Housing, which served as the joint subject matter committees on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 606, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 606, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair