HB 1738 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO LAND USE DECISION-MAKING.

Summary

Authorizes counties to amend district boundaries involving land areas of greater than fifteen but no more than twenty-five acres for purposes of residential housing, agricultural workforce housing, long-term rental housing, or workforce fee simple ownership. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Last action Mar 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB1738_HD1 → HB1738_HD2 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from House District 1 to House District 2, reflecting its progression in the legislative process. Substantive changes include clarifying that district boundary amendments must be consistent with the chapter and project area, and adjusting the list of eligible soil productivity ratings for agricultural districts to exclude Class C lands. These modifications refine the criteria for counties to approve specific land use projects without state commission review.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on authorizing counties to amend land use district boundaries for specific housing and agricultural purposes, but the eligibility criteria for soil classification were narrowed.

ELIGIBILITY

The list of eligible soil productivity ratings for agricultural districts was changed from Classes C, D, E, or U to only Classes D, E, or U, effectively excluding Class C soils from this specific exemption.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for boundary amendments to be consistent with the chapter and project area was made explicit to ensure alignment with existing regulations.

TECHNICAL

Minor wording adjustments were made to clarify that conservation districts are not included in the eligible urban district areas and to correct the phrasing regarding planning map adoption timelines.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WLA/EIG/HOU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-19-26 3:01PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to WLA/EIG/HOU, JDC.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 277).

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Amato, Cochran, Garcia voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Grandinetti, Iwamoto, Marten, Perruso, Poepoe voting no (5) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Hashem, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Poepoe; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Belatti, Cochran.

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

Reported from HSG/WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 579-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Morikawa, Belatti, Ichiyama, Poepoe, Souza; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Iwamoto, Shimizu; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Woodson.

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Kila, Kitagawa, La Chica, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Cochran, Grandinetti; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to HSG/WAL, JHA, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

Prefiled.

lower

10 primary · 0 co-sponsors