HB1411 • 2026

RELATING TO HOUSING PREFERENCE.

Housing Labor

Active

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

Sponsor: EVSLIN, MIYAKE
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation incorrectly stated an effective date of July 1, 2050. The official source does not provide a specific implementation timeline beyond the approval date.

Housing Preference Law

This law allows housing projects to give preference to people who live or work within five miles of the project.

What This Bill Does

Gives the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) permission to allow housing projects to prioritize local residents and workers when selling or leasing homes.
Projects can offer preferences to applicants whose home is less than five miles away from the project location.
Projects can also give preference to people who work within a five-mile radius of the project.

Who It Names or Affects

People looking for affordable housing in Hawaii
Housing projects and developers in Hawaii

Terms To Know

Geographic preferences: Giving preference to people who live or work close to a specific location.
Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC): A government agency that helps with affordable housing projects in Hawaii.

Limits and Unknowns

The law does not specify the extent of preference to be given to local residents or workers.
It is unclear what specific rules the HHFDC will create to follow this new law.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment allows the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to give preferences in affordable housing projects to people who live or work within five miles of the project.

The amendment permits the HHFDC to prioritize applicants for affordable housing units based on their proximity to the project location, specifically those living or working within a five-mile radius.

The effective date listed as July 1, 3000 is likely an error and should be corrected in future versions of the bill.
Details about how preferences will be implemented are not provided beyond allowing the HHFDC to create rules under chapter 91.

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Adds a new section to Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, allowing the HHFDC to grant geographic preferences for applicants living or working within five miles of an affordable housing project.

The amendment specifies that the HHFDC may adopt rules under chapter 91 to implement this section, but does not provide details on what these rules will be.
It is unclear how this preference will affect other applicants who do not live or work within five miles of a project.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-03-17 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
2025-03-17 S
Reported from HOU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1097) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2025-03-11 S
The committee(s) on HOU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HOU were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Chang, Hashimoto, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Aquino, Fevella.
2025-03-07 S
The committee(s) on HOU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-11-25 1:10PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2025-03-06 S
Referred to HOU, WAM.
2025-03-06 S
Passed First Reading.
2025-03-06 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 369).
2025-03-04 H
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2025-02-28 H
Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1064), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2025-02-26 H
The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Perruso, Takayama, Todd, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, Kahaloa.
2025-02-21 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Wednesday, 02-26-25 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-12 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Sayama, Ward excused (3).
2025-02-12 H
Reported from HSG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 492) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
2025-02-07 H
The committee on HSG recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Evslin, Miyake, Grandinetti, Kitagawa, La Chica, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Pierick; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, Kila.
2025-02-04 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by HSG on Friday, 02-07-25 9:00AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-27 H
Referred to HSG, JHA, referral sheet 4
2025-01-23 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO HOUSING PREFERENCE.
HHFDC; Affordable Housing; Geographic Preferences
Authorizes the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to allow projects to grant preferences in the sale or lease of housing units to applicants who live or work within five miles of the project. Takes effect 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1411

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1411

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO HOUSING PREFERENCE
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that there is a
shortage of affordable housing in Hawaii.
�

Further, many workers face difficulty commuting to and from work.
�
Long commutes strain transportation
infrastructure and exacerbate global warming by increasing the emissions of
greenhouse gases from vehicles.
�
Long
commute times also impair worker productivity and personal wellbeing, as well
as harm the overall economic productivity of the State.

����
Allowing
people to live closer to where they work will help preserve infrastructure,
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve workers' mental health, and help
businesses by reducing commute times.

����
The
legislature also finds that housing development may displace or adversely
affect people who live in the immediate vicinity of the projects, and that
measures should be taken to reduce these effects.
�
Further, people often have strong ties to
their communities including schools, social networks, and commercial
establishments.

����
Prioritizing
affordable housing projects that grant preferences for applicants who live or
work in the immediate vicinity of the projects will help alleviate the shortage
of workforce housing, reduce traffic and emissions of greenhouse gases,
mitigate adverse impacts from new development, and build stronger communities.

����
SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately
designated and to read as follows:

����
"
�201H-
�
�
��
Geographic preferences.
�
In developing projects under this chapter, the corporation may allow
projects to grant preferences to housing units for applicants whose primary
physical residence or place of employment is located within five miles of the
project.
�
The corporation may adopt rules
under chapter 91 to implement this section.
"

����
SECTION
3.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Affordable
Housing; HHFDC; Geographic Preferences

Description:

Allows
the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to allow projects to
grant preferences in the sale or lease of housing units to applicants who live
or work within 5 miles of the project.

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