Bill > HB1777

This bill requires developers of housing projects that receive assistance from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) and result in the displacement or eviction of tenants in existing affordable rental units (those affordable to families earning 140% or below the area median income) to provide specific protections to those tenants. These protections include offering displaced tenants the first opportunity to rent a comparable unit in the new housing project, providing a replacement housing payment equivalent to the lesser of three months' rent or an amount equal to three months' rent affordable to a two-person household at 60% of the area median income, and informing tenants on how to access assistance and exercise their rights, either directly or through a contracted service. Developers must also establish procedures to track and communicate with these tenants from 120 days before the notice to vacate until the right of first offer is exercised or declined, ensuring they are not offered fewer protections than federal law provides. Failure to comply with these requirements will subject developers to actions by the HHFDC, such as delaying funding applications, halting relocation efforts, withholding disbursements, or making the developer ineligible for HHFDC programs for at least one year.

Business and Industry, Housing and Urban Affairs, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1777&year=2026