HB1307 • 2026

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Budget

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: HOLT, EVSLIN, KAHALOA, KUSCH, LAMOSAO, LEE, M., LOWEN, MARTEN, MATAYOSHI, MIYAKE, SOUZA, TARNAS, Kila
Last action: 2026-03-30
Official status: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify how the loans will be repaid or managed, and it is unclear what happens if the full $20 million is not needed.

Funding for Geothermal Exploration on Hawaiian Home Lands

This bill appropriates $20 million from state funds to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for water well development related to geophysical investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal resources on Hawaiian home lands.

What This Bill Does

Appropriates $20 million in fiscal year 2025-2026 for water well development projects on Hawaiian home lands.
Requires the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to use these funds for geophysical investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal resources.

Who It Names or Affects

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
Residents and communities within Hawaiian home lands

Terms To Know

Geothermal Revolving Fund: A fund established for loans to support water well development related to geothermal resource investigation on Hawaiian home lands.
Hawaiian Home Lands: Land set aside by the U.S. government and state of Hawaii for native Hawaiians as part of a settlement agreement.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how the loans will be repaid or managed.
It is unclear what happens if the full $20 million is not needed in fiscal year 2025-2026.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment provides funding to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for water well development related to geothermal resource investigation on Hawaiian home lands.

Appropriates funds from general revenues for fiscal year 2025-2026 to support water well development and geophysical investigations on Hawaiian home lands.

The amendment specifies a future effective date of July 1, 3000, which seems incorrect or possibly a placeholder.
Details about the exact amount of funding are not provided in the text.

HD2

Hawaii published version HD2

Plain English: This amendment provides funding for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to develop water wells for investigating geothermal resources on Hawaiian home lands.

Appropriates funds from general state revenues for fiscal year 2025-2026 to support water well development and related activities for geothermal resource investigation.

The exact amount of funding is not specified in the amendment text.
The effective date listed (July 1, 3000) seems incorrect or possibly a placeholder and needs clarification.

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: This amendment establishes a Geothermal Revolving Fund to provide loans for water well development related to geothermal resource investigation on Hawaiian home lands, with an appropriation of $6 million.

Establishes the Geothermal Revolving Fund to provide loans for water well development and other activities related to geothermal resource exploration on Hawaiian home lands.
Appropriates $6 million from general state revenues into the Geothermal Revolving Fund.

The effective date of July 1, 3000 is likely a placeholder or error and should be corrected to an actual future date.

Bill History

2026-03-30 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
2026-03-30 S
Reported from HWN/EIG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3374) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2026-03-24 S
The committee(s) on HWN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HWN were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Richards, Lamosao; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) DeCorte; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Keohokalole.
2026-03-24 S
The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EIG were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, DeCoite, Richards, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2026-03-19 S
The committee(s) on HWN/EIG has scheduled a public hearing on 03-24-26 1:10PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.
2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-03-04 S
Referred to HWN/EIG, WAM.
2025-02-28 S
Passed First Reading.
2025-02-28 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 76).
2025-02-27 H
Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Amato, Belatti, Grandinetti, Hussey, Kapela, Perruso, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Iwamoto, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Poepoe, Reyes Oda, Shimizu voting no (8) and Representative(s) Cochran, Pierick, Templo, Ward excused (4). Transmitted to Senate.
2025-02-27 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 891), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2025-02-20 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 13 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Reyes Oda; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos, Ward.
2025-02-18 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 02-20-25 12:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-14 H
Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Perruso voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Shimizu voting no (7) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).
2025-02-14 H
Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 721) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.
2025-02-11 H
The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Kahaloa, Takayama, Todd; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Perruso, Shimizu; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, Hashem.
2025-02-07 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Tuesday, 02-11-25 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-06 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Ward excused (1).
2025-02-06 H
Reported from EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 227) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
2025-02-04 H
The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Perruso, Kahaloa, Kusch, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward.
2025-01-28 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by EEP on Tuesday, 02-04-25 9:00AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-27 H
Referred to EEP, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 4
2025-01-23 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-22 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.
DHHL; Hawaiian Home Lands; Geothermal Revolving Fund; Geothermal Resources; Appropriation ($)
Establishes the Geothermal Revolving Fund for loans for water well development for geophysical investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal resources on Hawaiian home lands. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1307

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1307

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the department of hawaiian home lands
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
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The legislature finds that Act 205,
Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, provided funds to the department of Hawaiian home
lands to begin an investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal
resources on Hawaiian home lands to be used for the generation, transmission,
or production of electricity and renewable energy resources.
�
Geothermal resources can provide stable
power, community benefits, and an alternative to
biofuels.
�
The legislature further finds that the
department of Hawaiian home lands requires more funding
to allow the department to drill
slim holes at certain sites on Hawaiian home lands, develop water wells,
collect geophysical data, and hire consultants to help the department navigate
the intricacies of geothermal development.

����
The purpose of this Act is to
provide follow-up funding for the next steps in the investigation, exploration,
and identification of geothermal resources on Hawaiian home lands.

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $20,000,000 or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 to fund water well
development for geophysical investigation, exploration, and identification of
geothermal resources on Hawaiian home lands.

����
The sum

appropriated shall be expended by the
department of Hawaiian home lands for the purposes of this Act.

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SECTION 3.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DHHL;
Hawaiian Home Lands; Geothermal Resources; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates
funds to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for water well development for
geophysical investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal
resources on Hawaiian home lands.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.