HB85 • 2026

RELATING TO THE LAND CONSERVATION FUND.

Taxes Water

Active

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

Sponsor: POEPOE, BELATTI, CHUN, GRANDINETTI, IWAMOTO, KAHALOA, KAPELA, KILA, KUSCH, MARTEN, PERRUSO, SOUZA
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on the bill ensuring consistent funding for land conservation efforts.

Land Conservation Fund Funding

This bill sets the amount of conveyance tax revenues to be paid into the Land Conservation Fund at ten percent of the total taxes collected each fiscal year, up to a maximum cap.

What This Bill Does

Restores the percentage of conveyance tax revenue that goes to the Land Conservation Fund to ten percent per fiscal year.
Limits the amount going to the fund to either ten percent or $5.1 million, whichever is less.

Who It Names or Affects

The state government and agencies managing the Land Conservation Fund
Residents and businesses involved in property transactions that generate conveyance taxes

Terms To Know

Conveyance Tax: A tax charged on real estate transfers or sales.
Land Conservation Fund: A fund used to protect land for various purposes such as watershed protection, coastal preservation, and cultural sites in Hawaii.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if the ten percent of conveyance taxes collected is less than $5.1 million.
It's unclear how this change will impact other state funds that receive conveyance tax revenues.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment sets a specific percentage or monetary cap, whichever is less, of conveyance tax revenues to be allocated annually to the Land Conservation Fund.

Establishes that at least 10% or $5,100,000 (whichever is smaller) of annual conveyance taxes collected will go into the Land Conservation Fund.

The amendment specifies a future effective date of July 1, 3000, which seems unrealistic and likely indicates an error or placeholder.
Details on how the funds will be used are not provided in this amendment text.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-02-13 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kitagawa, Ward excused (3).
2025-02-13 H
Reported from WAL/EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 589) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2025-02-11 H
The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Perruso, Kahaloa, Kusch; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Quinlan, Ward.
2025-02-11 H
The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Lamosao, Belatti, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Morikawa, Poepoe, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Woodson.
2025-02-07 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by WAL/EEP on Tuesday, 02-11-25 10:00AM in House conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to WAL/EEP, FIN, referral sheet 1
2025-01-16 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-13 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE LAND CONSERVATION FUND.
Conveyance Tax; Land Conservation Fund
Sets the amount of conveyance tax revenues to be paid into the Land Conservation Fund to a certain per cent or monetary cap, whichever is less, of conveyance taxes collected each fiscal year. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB85

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

85

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the land conservation fund
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that the land
conservation fund does not receive adequate funding to conserve land for
watershed protection, coastal preservation, flood prevention, parks, habitat
protection, cultural preservation, agricultural production, and open space and
scenic resources.
�
The legislature
further finds that establishing a reliable, consistent revenue stream for the
land conservation fund will ensure greater protection of these lands and
resources for future generations; grow a more sustainable and resilient future;
support Native Hawaiian cultural practices, including the preservation of
significant archaeological and natural resources; and help to maintain
sufficient open space and breathing room for residents and visitors, all of
which serve the best interests of the people of Hawaii.

����
In
addition, reliable funding for the acquisition and management of resource value
lands strengthens the State's portfolio of high-value, long-term investments in
protecting Hawaii's natural capital, and the returns on this investment
accelerate community efforts to strengthen resilience, promote health and
wellness, and continue building and operating new models of economic
opportunity.

����
The
purpose of this Act is to help ensure adequate funding for the land conservation
fund and legacy land conservation program by restoring the
amount of
conveyance tax revenues
to be paid into the land conservation fund to ten per cent of conveyance taxes
collected each fiscal year.

����
SECTION
2
.
�
Section 247-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�247-7
�
Disposition of taxes.
�

All taxes collected under this chapter shall be paid into the state
treasury to the credit of the general fund of the State, to be used and
expended for the purposes for which the general fund was created and exists by
law; provided that of the taxes collected each fiscal year:

����
(1)
�
Ten
per cent [
or $5,100,000, whichever is less,
] shall be paid into the land
conservation fund established pursuant to section 173A-5; and

����
(2)
�
Fifty
per cent or $38,000,000, whichever is less, shall be paid into the rental
housing revolving fund established by section 201H-202.
"

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

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Conveyance
Tax; Land Conservation Fund

Description:

Restores
the amount of conveyance tax revenues to be paid into the Land Conservation
Fund to ten per cent of conveyance taxes collected each fiscal year.

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