Requesting The Hawaii Technology Development Corporation To Initiate The Planning Of A Health Care Technology Hub In Kakaako To Accelerate The Adoption Of Health Care Technology And Promote The Development And Growth Of Hawaii's Highly Skilled Health Care Workforce.
SCR 35 is a Senate Concurrent Resolution requesting the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) to begin planning for a Health Care Technology Hub in Kakaako. The resolution frames the hub as a way to speed adoption of health care technologies and support the growth of Hawaii’s health care workforce. It cites emerging tools such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and generative artificial intelligence as examples of technologies that could improve training, diagnostics, treatment, and surgery.
The resolution identifies HTDC’s Entrepreneurs Sandbox at 643 Ilalo Street as a potential anchor site because it has surrounding vacant land and is located near the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. It also notes that the site is within Kakaako Makai, where development requires approval from the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA). The measure therefore calls for planning to occur in consultation with JABSOM, the Cancer Center, HCDA, and the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office, and it asks HTDC to report back to the Legislature with a conceptual plan and any proposed legislation by twenty days before the 2026 Regular Session.
The bill’s impact on state law is limited because it is a concurrent resolution rather than a statute. It does not create a new program, appropriate funds, or directly change existing law. Instead, it directs state agencies and partners to study and plan for a possible future health care technology hub and to identify any legislative changes that may be needed later. If implemented, the effort could influence future development decisions in Kakaako and shape how state technology and health-sector partners coordinate around innovation infrastructure.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive and forward-looking. The resolution presents the hub as an economic development and workforce strategy that aligns with HTDC’s mission to diversify Hawaii’s economy through technology. No committee transcripts or votes were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or debate in the available materials. The tone suggests broad enthusiasm for innovation, collaboration, and leveraging existing public assets for health technology development.
Because there is no recorded discussion, the main potential point of contention is implicit rather than documented: any future development in Kakaako Makai will require HCDA approval, and the concept may raise questions about land use, permitting, funding, governance, and whether the hub should be built at the proposed site. The resolution also leaves open what specific technologies, tenants, or public investments would be involved, meaning those details would likely be the subject of later legislative or administrative debate.
SCR 35 does not amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or create enforceable duties; it is a nonbinding request to HTDC and related agencies to plan a proposed Health Care Technology Hub. Its practical effect is to initiate interagency consultation, encourage conceptual planning for development in Kakaako, and require a report to the Legislature with any recommended legislation. The resolution could influence future land-use, technology, workforce, and economic-development policy, especially in relation to the Entrepreneurs Sandbox site, HCDA jurisdiction, and partnerships with UH medical and research institutions.
The available text reflects a positive, pro-innovation sentiment. The measure is framed as an economic development and workforce-building initiative that could improve health care delivery through advanced technologies and collaboration among state agencies and university partners. No votes or committee testimony were provided, so there is no documented opposition or divided sentiment in the record supplied. The absence of recorded dissent suggests the proposal was presented as an exploratory planning effort rather than a controversial policy change.
No formal contention is documented in the provided materials, but the resolution itself points to likely future issues. The most notable is land-use and approval authority in Kakaako Makai, where HCDA must approve development. Additional possible concerns include whether the state should invest in a new hub, how it would be funded, what role private partners would play, and whether the proposed site and concept best serve statewide health care and workforce needs. Any debate would likely center on development feasibility, governance, and the scope of public benefit.