Bill > SB1188

This bill establishes a temporary fifteen-member advisory committee, convened by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Health, to inventory and evaluate lands currently owned by the United States government that could potentially be transferred back to the State of Hawaii. The committee will include experts in environmental conservation, land remediation, Native Hawaiian rights, economic impact, and military site restoration, as well as government representatives. The committee's mandate is to communicate with federal representatives to assess which properties might reasonably be transferred, analyzing potential transfer terms such as environmental cleanup, costs, and timelines. Specifically excluded from the inventory are major federal facilities like military bases, national parks, monuments, and postal service offices. The committee will be required to submit annual reports to the legislature beginning in 2027, with recommendations and potential legislation, and will automatically dissolve on December 31, 2035. The bill is rooted in the state constitution's principle of malama aina (caring for the land) and recognizes that many Hawaiian lands were acquired by the federal government during the territorial period when Hawaii had limited negotiating power.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1188&year=2026