#House Finance Committee

Without explanation, Upcountry Rep. Kyle Yamashita has been stripped of his powerful position as House Finance Committee chairman.

Maui County highlights in the House Finance Committee draft budgets for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 include $1.6 million in both fiscal years for Kamehameha III temporary school in Lahaina and $12 million in fiscal 2026 and $6 million in fiscal 2027 for Maui Health System.

An Oʻahu representative in the state House has introduced a bill to increase penalties for owners of dangerous dogs, but the measure has not gained traction in two House committee referrals.

The Hawaiʻi Senate Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs has recommended passage of Senate Bill 222, which would appropriate an as yet undetermined amount of state funding for an illegal fireworks task force.

Bills have been referred to committees in both chambers of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to limit the amount landlords can raise rents for tenants at a time of desperate housing shortages and renters having few, if any, options if they can’t afford demands for higher monthly rent payments.

Companion bills in the state House and Senate have been submitted to establish the Maui Wildfires Settlement Trust Fund to pay claims from about 2,200 plaintiffs who’ve filed claims from injuries suffered in the August 2023 disaster.

A bill introduced by 13 representatives in the state House calls for establishing a permanent “Return-to-Home program” with an as yet undetermined amount of funding to return homeless people in Hawaiʻi to their home states.

State lawmakers want a working group to study the problem of people unlawfully occupying private property without the owner’s consent.

Video recordings made by unmanned airborne drones could be used to establish probable cause for law enforcement arrests in illegal fireworks cases under a bill introduced by 19 members of the state House of Representatives.

A bill to legalize personal adult use of cannabis will not be heard in the House Finance Committee, said Chair Kyle Yamashita, who represents Upcountry Maui.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources estimates it will cost approximately $30 million to repair and rebuild fire-ravaged Lahaina Small Boat Harbor. Meanwhile, a bill to provide state funding for maintenance dredging at small boat harbors statewide has advanced to the Finance Committee in the House of Representatives.

A measure that would restore the counties’ power to regulate the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products and e-cigarettes appears to be stalled in the House Finance Committee, and it may die there Wednesday if no action is taken.

After his appointment to the 10th House District seat and the beginning of this year’s lawmaking session, Tyson Miyake is reading hundreds of bills, attending countless meetings and finding he’s not just another fresh face at the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

Members of the House Finance Committee, led by Chair Kyle T. Yamashita (D-12, Upcountry Maui), visited various sites in the Lahaina wildfire disaster zone on Thursday to receive an update on recovery efforts from Federal and County officials, and identify key priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

On Aug. 8, 2023, as wildfires raged in Lahaina, Maui, the Big Island was simultaneously fighting seven separate wildfires in Kohala. With a High Wind Warning in effect, county officials said they recognized the imperative need for a unified, vigilant approach to monitoring the unfolding situation across the state.

De Fries said the the limited budget is cause for “extreme concern.” He said that in addition to programs that the HTA supports in communities markets around the world, its funds are also used to support cultural events, festivals, and sporting events.

Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita (D-12, Upcountry, Maui) acknowledged that the committee’s approach included restoring funding to critical programs that were cut during the pandemic, tackling long standing large one-time funding priorities, and enhancing the state’s ability to withstand an economic downturn by shoring up its reserve funds.

The House Finance Committee amended and passed the state operating budget for fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. House Bill 200, House Draft 1 now moves to the full House for a vote on third reading.

The House Finance Committee continues its site visit with a stop today to Haʻikū Elementary and the Maui Food Innovation Center at UH Maui College.

Maui Mayor Tavares Announces Priorities Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares announced her priorities for the 2009 legislative session during (a hearing before the House Finance and Senate Ways and Means Committees) a joint conference at the state capitol on Tuesday.  In addressing lawmakers, Tavares said she would not be making any direct requests for funding given […]