Hawaii Senate Bill SB3295

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/30/26
• Refer: 2/2/26

Caption

RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OF THE FOURTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT.

Summary

SB3295 authorizes the issuance of up to $350,000 in general obligation bonds and appropriates that amount for fiscal year 2026-2027 for a capital improvement project in Hawaii’s fourth senatorial district. The bill specifically funds the plans and design phase of an “Equitable and Sustainable Water Access Project,” described as a new water distribution system connection to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity’s Puu Pulehu and Waimea reservoirs. The measure directs that the appropriation be expended by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and provides that the funds will not lapse at the end of the biennium, although any unencumbered balance as of June 30, 2028, will lapse on that date. The act would take effect on July 1, 2026, and functions as a district-specific capital improvement appropriation rather than a statewide policy change.

Impact

SB3295 would amend state spending authority by creating a targeted capital improvement appropriation backed by general obligation bonds. It would add a new, district-specific water infrastructure project to the state’s capital improvement program and assign implementation responsibility to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, while tying the project to reservoirs associated with the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. The bill affects state fiscal law, bond issuance authority, and the allocation of capital improvement funds for planning and design work.

Sentiment

Based on the available record, the bill appears to have neutral-to-supportive treatment, with no recorded opposition, votes, or committee testimony in the provided materials. Its referral to the Senate Ways and Means Committee suggests it was being considered as a funding measure, but the absence of transcripts or vote history means there is no documented public debate in the supplied context. The bill’s framing around equitable and sustainable water access indicates a policy goal that is likely to be viewed positively by supporters of infrastructure and water access investments.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of scrutiny, if raised in committee, could include the use of general obligation bonds for a relatively small planning appropriation, the district-specific nature of the funding, and the role of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in expending the money for a project connected to agriculture and biosecurity reservoirs. However, the record supplied here does not show any stated objections or competing viewpoints.