RELATING TO HOUSING.

Education Housing Labor

Active

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

Sponsor: MARTEN, AMATO, BELATTI, EVSLIN, GRANDINETTI, ILAGAN, IWAMOTO, KAPELA, KILA, KITAGAWA, KUSCH, LEE, M., LOWEN, MATAYOSHI, MORIKAWA, OLDS, PERRUSO, POEPOE, SHIMIZU, SOUZA, TAKAYAMA, TARNAS, TEMPLO
Last action: 2026-02-10
Official status: The committee(s) on EDN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify which employees will be prioritized or the extent of housing development.

Making School Buildings Available for Employee Housing

This bill requires the Department of Education to consider using public school buildings and grounds for housing certain employees when closing schools.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Department of Education to give reasonable consideration to making all or portions of a closed public school available for housing development for certain department employees, excluding top leadership like superintendents, deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, and vice-principals.
Asks the Department to identify unused public school facilities that may be appropriate for employee housing when closing schools.
Inventories suitable grounds available upon a public school closure for potential development of employee housing.

Who It Names or Affects

The Department of Education
Certain employees of the Department of Education excluding top leadership like superintendents, deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, and vice-principals

Terms To Know

Department of Education: The government agency responsible for managing public schools.
Employee Housing: Housing provided or supported by an employer, in this case the Department of Education.

Limits and Unknowns

It is not clear if and when this bill will be approved.
The bill does not specify how much housing should be made available for employees.

Bill History

2026-02-10 H
The committee(s) on EDN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
2026-02-06 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Tuesday, 02-10-26 2:15PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-26 H
Referred to EDN, HSG, FIN, referral sheet 1
2026-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-20 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO HOUSING.
Department of Education; Public School Facilities; Employee Housing
Requires the Department of Education to give reasonable consideration to making all or portions of the facilities of a public school available to housing development for certain employees of the Department when closing the public school. Requires the Department of Education to identify unused public school facilities that may be appropriate for employee housing and inventory suitable grounds available upon public school closure for potential development of employee housing.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1672

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1672

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to housing
.

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

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 302A-1151.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by amending subsections (a) and (b) to read as follows:

����
"(a)
�
When the department considers whether to
close any particular public school, it shall simultaneously give reasonable
consideration to making all or portions of the facilities of the public school
available
for housing for department employees, excluding the
superintendent, deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals,
and vice-principals,
to charter schools and early learning programs;
provided that the facilities may be used for any other purpose the board deems
appropriate.

����
(b)
�

The department shall identify unused public school facilities that may
be appropriate for:

����
(1)
�
Housing for department employees, excluding
the superintendent, deputy superintendents, assistant superintendents,
principals, and vice-principals;

���
[
(1)
]

(2)
�
Charter schools;

���
[
(2)
]

(3)
�
Early learning programs; and

���
[
(3)
]

(4)
�
Any other purpose the board deems
appropriate.

����
Suitable
grounds available upon a public school closure, as determined by the
department, shall be inventoried for potential development of housing for
department employees, excluding the superintendent, deputy superintendents,
assistant superintendents, principals, and vice-principals.

����
Suitable
empty classrooms, as determined by the department, shall be inventoried for
potential use by charter schools, early learning programs, or for any other
purpose the board deems appropriate.
�

Priority shall be given to facilities on sites with sufficient space for
three or more classrooms."

����
SECTION
2
.
�
Section 302D-24, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

����
"
(a)
�

When the department considers whether to close any particular department
school, the department shall submit a notice of possible availability of a
department school or notice of vacancy of a department school to the board
pursuant to section 302A‑1151.5(b); provided that the department has not
elected to use the department school to support education programs[
.
]
or
housing for department employees pursuant to section
302A-1151.5(a)
.
"

����
SECTION
3.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

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

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Department
of Education; Public School Facilities; Employee Housing

Description:

Requires
the Department of Education to give reasonable consideration to making all or
portions of the facilities of a public school available to housing development
for certain employees of the Department when closing the public school.
�
Requires the Department of Education to
identify unused public school facilities that may be appropriate for employee housing
and inventory suitable grounds available upon public school closure for
potential development of employee housing.

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