RELATING TO HOUSING.

Housing Labor

Active

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

Sponsor: NAKAMURA (Introduced by request of another party)
Last action: 2026-01-28
Official status: Referred to HSG, FIN, referral sheet 3
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

New Housing Preferences for State and County Employees

This bill adds new housing preferences for state and county employees in Hawaii, allowing them to be prioritized in certain housing programs.

What This Bill Does

Adds a preference for state and county employees when applying for housing development programs run by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC).
Requires HHFDC to set aside at least a certain percentage of available units for these employees, if feasible.
Gives HHFDC the power to create rules about how to rank applicants based on their needs and other factors.
Ensures that HHFDC verifies an applicant's preference status before they can move into an affordable unit.

Who It Names or Affects

State employees in Hawaii
County employees in Hawaii
The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation

Terms To Know

Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC): A government agency that helps with housing development and support programs.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the exact percentage of units to be set aside for state and county employees.
It is unclear how many new rules HHFDC will create based on this legislation.

Bill History

2026-01-28 H
Referred to HSG, FIN, referral sheet 3
2026-01-26 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-23 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO HOUSING.
Hawaii State Association of Counties Package; HHFDC; Housing; State Employees; County Employees; Eligibility Criteria
Adds new preferences for state and county employees to the eligibility criteria for housing development programs administered by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. Clarifies the Corporation's authority to adopt rules and determine the order of applicant preferences.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2070

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2070

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:

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SECTION
1
.
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Section 201H-31, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

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"[
[
]�201H-31[
]
]
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Criteria.
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(a)
�
In
administering this chapter and other laws of the State applicable to the
supplying of housing or the assistance in obtaining housing, the corporation
shall give preference to those applicants most in need of assistance in
obtaining housing, in light of the amount of moneys available for the various
programs.
�
In doing so, the corporation
shall take into consideration the applicant's household income and number of
dependents; the age of the applicant; the physical disabilities of the
applicant or those living with the applicant; whether or not the present
housing of the applicant is below standard; whether or not the applicant's need
for housing has arisen by reason of displacement of the applicant by
governmental actions;
the proximity between the housing location and the
applicant's place of employment; whether the applicant is a state or county
employee; whether the applicant is a returning resident who left the State to
attend a university, college, or trade school and has graduated within the past
two years;
and other factors as it may deem pertinent.

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The
corporation may allow households with incomes up to twenty per cent higher than
the income on which the maximum sales price was based to qualify to purchase a
unit.

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(b)
�
For any project developed or administered by
the corporation under this chapter, the corporation, when feasible, shall set
aside as a matter of preference no less than per
cent of the available units for state or county employees.

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(c)
�
In implementing this section, the corporation
shall:

����
(1)
�
Determine the order of preferences pursuant
to subsection (a) and rank each applicant accordingly;

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(2)
�
Select applicants based on application date
within the pool of similarly ranked applicants; and

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(3)
�
Validate the preference status of an
applicant before occupancy of an affordable unit.

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(d)
�
The corporation may adopt rules pursuant to
chapter 91 to establish additional eligibility criteria.
"

����
SECTION
2.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

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SECTION 3.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

By Request

Report Title:

Hawaii
State Association of Counties Package; HHFDC; Housing; State Employees; County
Employees; Eligibility Criteria

Description:

Adds new
preferences for state and county employees to the eligibility criteria for housing
development programs administered by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development
Corporation.
�
Clarifies the Corporation's
authority to adopt rules and determine the order of applicant preferences.

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not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.