HB741 • 2026

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Housing Labor

Active

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not specify the exact amount of funds from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund, only stating 'less than a certain amount.'

Hawaii Housing Exemption Bill

This bill exempts affordable housing projects from prevailing wage laws if they are financed by a nonprofit community development financial institution certified by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and use less than $3 million from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund.

What This Bill Does

Exempts certain affordable housing projects from prevailing wage provisions if they meet specific criteria.

Who It Names or Affects

Nonprofit community development financial institutions in Hawaii
Affordable housing developers who use funds from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund

Terms To Know

Prevailing wage laws: Laws that set minimum wages for workers on public works projects.
Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund: A fund used to finance affordable housing projects in Hawaii.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill exempts projects with total development costs not exceeding $3,000,000.
It is unclear how many projects will qualify for this exemption.
The effective date of the bill is set for July 1, 3000, which seems to be a placeholder or error.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment exempts affordable housing projects financed by certified nonprofit community development financial institutions using less than $1,500,000 from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund from prevailing wage requirements.

Adds a new section to Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 201H to exempt certain affordable housing projects from prevailing wage laws if they use less than $1,500,000 from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund.
Amends Section 104-2 of Hawaii Revised Statutes to include an exemption for affordable housing projects financed by certified nonprofit community development financial institutions using less than $1,500,000 from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund.

The amendment specifies that it will take effect on July 1, 3000, which seems to be a placeholder date and not an actual effective date.
The exact impact of this exemption on construction workers' wages is unclear without further details.

HD2

Hawaii published version HD2

Plain English: This amendment would exempt affordable housing projects financed by nonprofit community development financial institutions, which use less than a certain amount from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund, from prevailing wage requirements.

Adds an exemption to prevailing wage laws for specific affordable housing projects funded by nonprofits using limited amounts of money from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund.

The exact amount of funding that qualifies a project for this exemption is not specified in the provided text.
The effective date mentioned (July 1, 3000) appears to be an error or placeholder and should be clarified.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-03-18 S
The committee on LBT deferred the measure.
2025-03-11 S
The committee(s) on HOU/LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 03-18-25 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2025-03-06 S
Referred to HOU/LBT, WAM.
2025-03-06 S
Passed First Reading.
2025-03-06 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 278).
2025-03-04 H
Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Iwamoto voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Muraoka voting no (1) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2025-02-28 H
Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-04-25.
2025-02-28 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1037) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
2025-02-25 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Kusch, Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Lamosao, Lee, M.; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Kitagawa, Ward.
2025-02-21 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 02-25-25 10:00AM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-14 H
Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).
2025-02-14 H
Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 660), recommending referral to FIN.
2025-02-13 H
The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Garrett, Kong; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Lee, M.; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Kapela, Reyes Oda.
2025-02-10 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Thursday, 02-13-25 9:00AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-06 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on LAB with Representative(s) Amato voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Ward excused (1).
2025-02-06 H
Reported from HSG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 210) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to LAB.
2025-02-05 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, Kila, Kitagawa, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, La Chica, Pierick.
2025-01-31 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by HSG on Wednesday, 02-05-25 9:00AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to HSG, LAB, FIN, referral sheet 2
2025-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-18 S
The committee on HOU deferred the measure.
2025-01-17 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO HOUSING.
Community Development Financial Institutions; Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund; Prevailing Wages; Exemption
Exempts affordable housing projects that are financed by a nonprofit community development financial institution certified by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation as utilizing less than a certain amount from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund from prevailing wage provisions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB741

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

741

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to housing
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to subpart K, part III, to be
appropriately designated and to read as follows:

����
"
�201H-
�
Prevailing wages; exemption.
�
Notwithstanding
any other law to the contrary, any project utilizing moneys from the affordable
homeownership revolving fund with total development costs not exceeding
$3,000,000 shall be exempt from chapter 104.
"

����
SECTION
2
.
�
Section 104-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

����
"(a)
�
This chapter shall apply to every contract in
excess of $2,000 for construction of a public work project to which a
governmental contracting agency is a party; provided that this chapter shall
not apply to experimental and demonstration housing developed pursuant to
section 46-15 [
or
]
;
housing developed pursuant to chapter 201H if
the cost of the project is less than $500,000 and the eligible bidder or
eligible developer is a private nonprofit corporation[
.
];
or projects
utilizing moneys from the affordable homeownership revolving fund with total
development costs not exceeding $3,000,000, pursuant to section
201H- .

����
For the purposes of this subsection:

����
"Contract" includes but is
not limited to any agreement, purchase order, or voucher in excess of $2,000
for construction of a public work project.

����
"Governmental contracting
agency" includes:

����
(1)
�
Any person or
entity that causes either directly or indirectly the building or development of
a public work; and

����
(2)
�
Any public-private
partnership.

����
"Party" includes eligible
bidders for and eligible developers of any public work and any housing under
chapter 201H; provided that this subsection shall not apply to any housing
developed under section 46-15 or chapter 201H if the entire cost of the project
is less than $500,000 and the eligible bidder or eligible developer is a
private nonprofit corporation."

����
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:

Affordable
Homeownership Revolving Fund; Prevailing Wages; Exemption

Description:

Exempts
certain projects funded by the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund from
prevailing wages provisions.

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