SB3103 establishes a Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program within the Department of Human Services to help eligible households pay costs associated with meeting their home energy needs. The bill is aimed at low-income residents and households in need of public assistance, and it requires applicants to show Hawaii residency, an active utility account, and income eligibility standards set by DHS through rulemaking. The measure also directs DHS to adopt administrative rules to implement the program.
In addition to direct bill-payment assistance, the bill expands the role of the Public Benefits Fee Administrator at the Public Utilities Commission. The administrator would be required to provide program recipients with information, technical assistance, and, if requested, an energy audit, along with help implementing energy-efficiency improvements. The bill also includes an appropriation from general revenues for fiscal year 2026-2027 to fund the new program, though the dollar amount is left blank in the text provided.
Impact
The bill would add a new section to chapter 346, Hawaii Revised Statutes, creating a state-administered energy assistance program and authorizing DHS to set eligibility and program rules. It would also amend section 269-123(b) to add a new duty for the PUC’s public benefits fee administrator to support recipients of the new program with energy-efficiency information and services. The measure would therefore expand both DHS and PUC responsibilities and create a new state funding stream for household energy assistance, while complementing existing low-income energy and efficiency programs.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill. It passed the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the Senate Ways and Means Committee unanimously or near-unanimously, with no recorded opposition in the votes provided. The bill’s findings frame the measure as a response to high electricity costs, widespread household financial strain, and limited federal assistance, indicating a broadly sympathetic policy rationale.
Contention
The main policy issue underlying the bill is how to address Hawaii’s high electricity costs and limited federal LIHEAP funding for low-income households. The bill’s supporters appear to favor a state-run assistance program paired with energy-efficiency support, while the text suggests the broader challenge is funding adequacy and program design rather than disagreement over whether assistance is needed. No committee transcript objections are provided, and the recorded votes show no visible controversy, but the blank appropriation amount and the need for DHS rulemaking indicate that funding levels and eligibility standards would be key implementation questions.
A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to the Governor enrolled House bills finally passed by both houses of the One Hundred Third Legislature.
Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.