Session 2025: The Endgame
By Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director | Reading time: 6.5 minutes
The 2025 Regular Legislative Session is now entering its final phase, as all surviving bills and have been heard and passed by their last standing committees, concurrent resolutions are “crossing over” from the House to the Senate and vice versa, and any remaining board and commission nominations are considered by the Senate in the advise and consent process.
As it stands, shoreline protections may be in jeopardy, while measures protecting our water and community from toxic contamination also remain in play, and a hard-fought nomination to the water commission will soon be considered by the Senate Water and Land Committee.
However, before we dive into the remaining measures of note, here is a recap of some of what we’ve seen happen this past month:
Wai Protection: HB969 and SB438, which would prohibit siting landfills over drinking water aquifers, were both passed out of their final committees last Wednesday! Stay tuned for more opportunities to support these critical measures through the conference committee process.
Most notably, after over a year of testimonies, letters, rallies, op-eds, panels, and a lawsuit, the Governor finally conceded and agreed to follow the law by appointing Hannah Springer to serve as the Water Commission’s loea, or Native Hawaiian water management expert, after the withdrawal of his highly controversial and unlawfully-selected nominee Hinano Rodrigues. More on this historic development below!
Red Hill: SB639, setting a legal requirement for the full clean up of jet fuel released by the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, failed to get a required hearing before the House Water & Land Committee, despite voluminous testimonies submitted in support of the measure during its previous hearings. Meanwhile, HCR18, which would have investigated the feasibility of establishing an on-island water testing lab, was also deferred in the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee notwithstanding dozens of testimonies in support.
Biosecurity: The House and Senate biosecurity omnibus bills, SB1100 and HB427, have been amended to no longer threaten the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) with potential reassignment under the Department of Agriculture (and Biosecurity). While both versions differ in their approach, the fact that neither includes this problematic provision is testament to your voluminous testimonies in support of HISC. Meanwhile, HB299 - proposing to boost funding to the HISC, cleared its first joint committee hearing before the Senate Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment Committees, and also passed out of the Ways and Means Committee right before the decking deadline.
Environmental Review: HB661, which would have up-ended our bedrock environmental review law, died without a required hearing before the Senate Water and Land Committee. However, SB1074 continues to live on, although significantly reduced in its potential harmful impacts. More on this measure below.
Land Use, Food Security, and Cultural Protections: HB826, which would have fast-tracked development on up to 100 acres of rural or agricultural lands at a time - threatening our food security, public trust resources, and Native Hawaiian cultural practices, among other public rights and interests - was held by the Senate Water and Land Committee, after voluminous testimony was submitted in opposition.
Energy: HCR210, which urged caution in the Governor’s proposed pivot to methane or “Liquified Natural Gas” as a “bridge fuel” was held by the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee, despite nearly unanimous support and comments by both testifiers and committee members regarding the dubious if not dangerous assumptions underlying the Governor’s proposal. More on this issue to come!
Meanwhile, SB1588, establishing a working group to consider the feasibility of nuclear power as an energy source for our islands, was passed by the same committee, despite voluminous opposition and the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office also indicating that a working group would be premature and a waste of time and energy. Fortunately, this measure died after failing to receive a hearing before the House Finance Committee.
Toxics: HCR28, renewing a working group to address the alarming levels of lead being found in the sand, soil, fish, and homes surrounding the Puʻuloa Range Training Facility, cleared its final hearing in the House before the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee. This is a critical step towards preventing the multigenerational and irreparable harms of lead exposure, particularly for keiki and unborn children who live in or visit Oʻahu’s ʻEwa Beach.
Looking Ahead
In the next few weeks, your testimony, phone calls, and emails will be critical to ensuring a favorable resolution of several issues still before the legislature. This includes the following:
Measures to OPPOSE
Shoreline and Coastal Protections
HB732, which threatens the integrity of our shoreline areas by rolling back the applicability of special management area (SMA) use permits to coastal development projects, was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee and is now heading to conference. Our coastal areas are as sensitive as they are invaluable, and should be afforded greater protection against coastal development, not less, especially as we must already contend with the consequences of poor development planning and the growing impacts of climate destabilization and sea level rise. Stay tuned as we track this measure through the conference committee process.
SB1296, which began as a narrow bill to facilitate the redevelopment of Lahaina, has morphed into a highly problematic measure that would let any property damaged or destroyed by any kind of disaster - natural or manmade - to be rebuilt without a special management area permit. This could not only jeopardize natural and cultural resources; cultural, recreational, and subsistence practices; water quality; shoreline access; public safety; and even ocean-based commercial activities; but also saddle our future selves and future generations with structures that remain vulnerable to the ever-worsening effects of climate destabilization and sea level rise. This measure is also going to conference committee, with conferees yet to be named. Please stay tuned!
Environmental Review
SB1074, the environmental review bill mentioned above, will be going to conference committee. Your outreach to the conference committee members - who have yet to be appointed - will be critical to ensuring this measure does not make it out of conference. Please stay tuned for action alerts on this bad bill!
Measures to SUPPORT
Wai
GM770, nominating celebrated community leader and cultural expert Hannah Kihalani Springer to serve as the Water Commission’s designated loea, or Hawaiian water management expert, has been scheduled for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Water and Land Committee on April 11, 2025, at 1:00pm. Please take a moment to testify in STRONG SUPPORT of this nomination, which should have happened over a year ago. Sample testimony and testimony instructions can be found on our CapitolWatch website here.
HB969 and SB438, the landfill prohibition bills, will also likely need your support through the conference committee process. Stay tuned for more action alerts on these measures!
Toxics
HCR28, addressing the lead contamination from the Puʻuloa Range Training Facility, will still need to clear several Senate committee hearings to be adopted by the legislature. Stay tuned for action alerts as we track this resolution after crossover.
Measures to watch out for
As veterans of the legislative process are well aware, much can happen during the not-so-transparent conference committee process. Innocuous bills can be turned into dangerous and problematic versions of themselves, while bad bills can be killed or mitigated - both with little to no warning. Please be sure to stay tuned for action alerts as we monitor the conference committee process, and encourage your friends and neighbors - and anyone who cares about our islands - to sign up for our CapitolWatch mailing list here.
Mahalo nui to everyone who helped stand up for our islands, our communities, and our future generations thus far this legislative session. You have made a tremendous impact already - and your continued engagement will be ever more critical to a successful legislative session this year.
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