Bill > HB855

This bill modifies the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act to allow a living beneficiary's place on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' waitlist for residential, agricultural, or pastoral tracts to be transferred to a successor if the beneficiary dies before receiving a land offer. The successor must be at least 25% Native Hawaiian, and the transfer is subject to the Hawaiian homes commission's discretion. The bill also updates several sections of the existing law to incorporate this new provision, including modifications to leasing conditions that now recognize "qualified application successors" alongside Native Hawaiians. The changes expand the options for land transfer and succession while maintaining the core intent of providing land opportunities to Native Hawaiians. The bill will take effect either when the Secretary of the Interior confirms it meets certain regulatory criteria or when the U.S. Congress approves it, and it includes a severability clause to ensure that if any part of the amendment requires federal consent, the rest of the bill can still be implemented.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=855&year=2026