Sen. Kurt Fevella

Establishes the Department of Housing. Places the Hawaii Community Development Authority, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, and Hawaii Public Housing Authority within the Department of Housing for administrative purposes. Replaces the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism with the Director of Housing on the Hawaii Community Development Authority. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Requires the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to establish an international teacher license for certain visa holders and the requirements to obtain the international teacher license. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Adds loan funds administered by certified Nonprofit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) for certain for-sale affordable housing projects to the list of loan priorities for the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund. Expands the use of moneys in the revolving fund to allow financing as matching funds for CDFIs to mobilize other funding sources. (CD1)

Beginning 7/1/2026, restricts the use of restrictive housing in state-operated and state-contracted correctional facilities, with certain specified exceptions. Establishes a restrictive housing legislative working group to develop and recommend more comprehensive laws, policies, and procedures regarding restrictive housing for members of vulnerable populations by 1/8/2027. Requires the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission to review restrictive housing placements on an annual basis. Authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, by 12/1/2027, to implement policies and procedures recommended by the restrictive housing working group related to committed persons. Requires interim and final reports to the Legislature and Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission. (CD1)

Authorizes a person who discovers a recorded discriminatory restrictive covenant to take certain actions, without liability, to invalidate the covenant. Defines discriminatory restrictive covenant. (CD1)

Establishes procedures and requirements for single-family and multi-family housing project applicants to apply for an expedited permit, including requirements for completeness of expedited permit applications, duties of licensed professionals and the counties during construction, and applications for owner-builder exemptions. Takes effect 7/1/2026. Sunsets 6/30/2031. (CD1)

Allows the naming rights of the Stadium Facility and Convention Center Facility to be leased to any public or private entity. Requires any revenues derived from advertising or marketing in or on the Stadium Facility or Convention Center Facility to be deposited into the appropriate special fund of the facility. Authorizes the display of the name of any entity that leased the naming rights to a stadium operated by the Stadium Authority on the exterior of the stadium. (CD1)

Appropriates funds to the University of Hawaii to establish positions within the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of Geriatric Medicine to coordinate and incorporate training on Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia for health care providers into existing University of Hawaii programs; and review, update, and develop a dementia curriculum to be incorporated into existing University of Hawaii programs with the goal of establishing a local, informed dementia workforce. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. (CD1)

Requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to provide counties with an opportunity to comment on certain housing development projects. Prohibits the legislative body of a county from imposing stricter conditions than the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, stricter area median income requirements, or a reduction in fee waivers to housing development proposals that would increase the cost of the project. (CD1)

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish an installation goal for customer-sited distributed energy resources in the State. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish tariffs to achieve the installation goal and for grid services programs, microgrids, and community-based renewable energy. Ensures that certain levels of compensation are provided for solar and energy storage exports from customer-sited distributed energy resources as part of grid service programs and requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish grid service compensation values. Clarifies when a person who constructs, maintains, or operates a new microgrid is not considered a public utility. Authorizes wheeling of renewable energy and requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish policies and procedures to implement wheeling and microgrid service tariffs. (CD1)