SCR16

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THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REquesting the Auditor to conduct an audit of the MONEYS appropriated to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Pursuant to Act 279, Session laws of hawaii 2022.

WHEREAS, Act 279, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022 ("Act 279"), as amended by Act 125, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, appropriated $600,000,000 to eliminate the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands ("DHHL" or "the Department") waitlist by providing land and housing to native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, DHHL was authorized to use the appropriated moneys to develop residential lots and housing units, purchase land, provide financial assistance to the waitlisted applicants, and other necessary services; and

WHEREAS, Act 279 mandates that DHHL establish a strategic plan that aligns with the beneficiaries' preferences, as identified in the 2020 Beneficiaries Study Applicant Report, with seventy-six percent of beneficiaries preferring a single-family home or a vacant lot for home construction, and sixteen percent preferring rental or rent-to-own options for single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, or townhouses; and

WHEREAS, Act 279 further mandates that DHHL submit an annual report on the first day of each regular session that includes an accounting of the expenditures for the purposes of the act in the previous fiscal year, and the number of applicants on the waiting list that were assisted; and

WHEREAS, as of 2022, the DHHL waitlist included over 28,700 native Hawaiian beneficiaries, a number that has grown despite the intent of Act 279; and

WHEREAS, the entire appropriation of $600,000,000 was reportedly attached to projects by early 2025, targeting over 7,500 homes and lots over the next five years; and

WHEREAS, a news release dated April 25, 2025 reported that DHHL planned to issue more than 2,600 leases by the end of 2025; and

WHEREAS, on January 17, 2024, DHHL submitted its required Annual Activity Report which stated it had encumbered and expended approximately $193.7 million, with a projected total of 1,489 applicants on the waiting list having been assisted in fiscal year 2023; and

WHEREAS, on January 15, 2025, DHHL submitted its required Annual Activity Report which stated that it had encumbered and expended approximately $363.4 million, with a projected total of 185 applicants on the waiting list having been assisted in fiscal year 2024; and

WHEREAS, as of January 21, 2026, the first day of regular session, DHHL's Annual Activity Report, as required by Act 279, was not yet publicly available; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct an audit on the Department of the Hawaiian Home Lands as related to the moneys allocated to it pursuant to Act 279 and the 2020 Beneficiaries Study Applicant Report; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Auditor; Audit; Act 279, Session Laws of 2022; Act 125, Session Laws of 2024

Source: Hawaiʻi State Legislature · Retrieved Nov 8, 2026 · Source document ↗

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