HB2103 • 2026

RELATING TO THE LAND USE COMMISSION.

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: 2026-03-24
Official status: The committee on HWN deferred the measure.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on how this change will affect the commission's decision-making process or its relationship with other government agencies.

Changes to the Land Use Commission

This bill changes how members are chosen for the Land Use Commission, requiring at least one member with water management experience and allowing multiple members with expertise in traditional Hawaiian land use.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Land Use Commission to have at least one member who has substantial experience or expertise in water resource management.
Allows more than one member of the commission to be appointed based on their substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and knowledge of cultural land practices.
Requires the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to provide a list of nominees for members with such expertise to the Governor.

Who It Names or Affects

The Land Use Commission
Members of the Land Use Commission
Governor of Hawaii
Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Terms To Know

Land Use Commission: A group that makes decisions about how land in Hawaii is used.
Water resource management: The process of managing water resources to ensure they are used sustainably and efficiently.

Limits and Unknowns

This bill does not specify the exact number of members with traditional Hawaiian land use expertise that can be appointed.
It is unclear how this change will affect the commission's decision-making process or its relationship with other government agencies.
The bill has not yet been passed into law and needs further action before it becomes effective.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment changes the composition of the Land Use Commission to require at least one member with expertise in water resource management and another with knowledge of traditional Hawaiian land usage.

Adds a requirement for at least one commission member to have substantial experience or expertise in water resource management.
Ensures that at least one member has substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and cultural practices, with nominations provided by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

The amendment specifies effective date as July 1, 3000, which seems unusual and may be a placeholder for an actual future date.
Some parts of the text are bracketed or stricken out, indicating material to be repealed but not specifying what exactly is being removed.

HD2

Hawaii published version HD2

Plain English: This amendment changes the composition of the Land Use Commission to require at least one member with expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage, another with water resource management experience, and allows more than one member from each category.

The amendment requires that at least one member of the commission has substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and cultural land practices.
It also mandates that there must be at least one member who is an expert in water resource management.
The amendment allows for more than one member to have expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage, not just a single member.

The text does not specify the exact number of members with expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage beyond stating there can be more than one.

Bill History

2026-03-24 S
The committee on HWN deferred the measure.
2026-03-24 S
The committee on WLA deferred the measure.
2026-03-21 S
The committee(s) on WLA/HWN has scheduled a public hearing on 03-24-26 1:01PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.
2026-03-12 S
Referred to WLA/HWN, JDC.
2026-03-12 S
Passed First Reading.
2026-03-12 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 356).
2026-03-10 H
Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.
2026-03-06 H
Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-10-26.
2026-03-06 H
Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1182-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
2026-02-24 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, Cochran, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem, Garcia.
2026-02-20 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Tuesday, 02-24-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-17 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) Cochran, Lee, M., Poepoe excused (3).
2026-02-17 H
Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 337-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
2026-02-10 H
The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Morikawa, Belatti, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Poepoe, Woodson, Souza; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Shimizu; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2026-02-06 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by WAL on Tuesday, 02-10-26 9:00AM in House conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-28 H
Referred to WAL, JHA, referral sheet 4
2026-01-26 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-23 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE LAND USE COMMISSION.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs Package; LUC; Boards and Commissions
Amends the composition of the Land Use Commission to permit more than one member who has substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and knowledge of cultural land practices and require at least one member who has substantial experience in water resource management. Requires the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to submit a list of nominees to the Governor for the appointment of a commission member having substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and knowledge of cultural land practices. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2103

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2103

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the land use commission
.

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

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 205-1,
Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

����
"
�205-1
�
Establishment of
the commission.
�

(a)
�
There shall be a state land
use commission, hereinafter called the commission.
�
The commission shall consist of nine members
who shall hold no other public office and shall be appointed in the manner and
serve for the term set forth in section 26-34.
�

One member shall be appointed from each of the counties and the
remainder shall be appointed at large; provided that
at least
one member
shall have substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land
usage and knowledge of cultural land practices[
.
]
and at least one
member shall have substantial experience in the area of water resource
management.

�
The commission shall
elect its chairperson from one of its members.
�

The members shall receive no compensation for their services on the
commission, but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in the
performance of their duties.
�
Six
affirmative votes shall be necessary for any boundary amendment.

����
(b)
�
Appointment of members with substantial
experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and knowledge of
cultural land practices shall be made from a list of nominees submitted by the
office of Hawaiian affairs as follows:

����
(1)
�
For vacancies
attributable to the expiration of a term, the list shall be submitted on the
first business day of December before the expiration of the term; and

����
(2)
�
For a vacancy
that occurs during a council representative's term, the list shall be submitted
within ninety calendar days after the vacancy occurs.

����
[
(b)
]

(c)
�
The commission shall be a
part of the office of planning and sustainable development for administrative
purposes.

����
[
(c)
]

(d)
�
The commission may engage
employees necessary to perform its duties, including administrative personnel
and an executive officer.
�
The executive
officer shall be appointed by the commission and the executive officer's
position shall be exempt from civil service.
�

Departments of the state government shall make available to the
commission [
such
]
their
data, facilities, and personnel as are
necessary for it to perform its duties.
�

The commission may receive and utilize gifts and any funds from the federal
or other governmental agencies.
�
It shall
adopt rules guiding its conduct, maintain a record of its activities and
accomplishments, and make recommendations to the governor and to the
legislature through the governor.

����
[
(d)
]
(e)
�
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the
commission shall be exempt from section 26-35 with the exception of section
26-35(a)(2), (3), (7), (8), and section 26-35(b) shall apply.

����
[
(e)
]
(f)
�
The land use commission shall maintain its
independence on matters coming before it to which the office of planning and
sustainable development is a party by establishing and adhering to the process
required by section 225M-2(d)."

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

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

INTRODUCED
BY:

_____________________________

By
Request

Report Title:

Office of
Hawaiian Affairs Package; LUC; Boards and Commissions

Description:

Amends
the composition of the Land Use Commission to require at least one member who
has substantial experience and expertise in water resource management.
�
Requires the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to submit
a list of nominees to the Governor for the appointment of a commission member having
substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian land usage and
knowledge of cultural land practices.

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