Hawaii Senate Bill SCR180

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/16/26
• Refer: 3/19/26
• Report Pass: 4/8/26
• Engrossed: 4/9/26
• Refer: 4/10/26
• Report Pass: 4/17/26
• Passed: 4/20/26

Caption

Urging State Agencies That Own Or Control Land In West Maui To Implement And Enforce Aggressive Vegetation Management, Fuel Reduction, Defensible Space, And Emergency Access Measures To Reduce Wildfire Risk To Lahaina And Surrounding Communities.

Summary

SCR180 is a Senate Concurrent Resolution urging state agencies that own or control land in West Maui to take immediate wildfire-risk reduction actions on and around Lahaina. The resolution calls for aggressive vegetation management, removal of invasive grasses and other combustible growth, creation and maintenance of defensible space and fuel breaks, and inspection and improvement of emergency access roads, fire lanes, gates, and secondary evacuation routes. It specifically highlights state-controlled parcels and facilities in and around the Lahaina Civic Center, Leialii, Lahainaluna, and nearby schools and temporary housing areas for wildfire survivors. The measure is framed as a response to the 2023 Maui wildfires and to continuing concerns that unmanaged state lands and constrained evacuation routes could again contribute to a catastrophic fire spread. It references Act 302 (2025), which created the Office of the State Fire Marshal and expanded statewide wildfire-risk reduction responsibilities, and asks that office to assist in evaluating state lands and recommending corrective actions. The resolution also requests that several agencies report back to the Legislature on their efforts by December 31, 2026.

Impact

SCR180 does not amend statutes or create new legal mandates; as a concurrent resolution, it expresses legislative intent and urges action by executive agencies. Its practical effect is to pressure state landholding agencies—especially the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Department of Education, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Department of Accounting and General Services—to prioritize fuel reduction, defensible space, and evacuation-access improvements on state lands in West Maui. It also reinforces the role of the Office of the State Fire Marshal under Act 302 by directing attention to wildfire inspection, coordination, and community risk reduction functions.

Sentiment

The available vote history suggests strong support and little opposition: the Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee passed the resolution unanimously and without amendment. The bill’s tone is urgent and preventive, reflecting continued concern after the Lahaina disaster and broad agreement that state-owned lands in West Maui require more active management to reduce wildfire danger. The resolution’s language indicates a consensus that wildfire mitigation on public lands is a pressing public safety responsibility.

Contention

The main point of contention is not whether wildfire risk exists, but how aggressively and how quickly state agencies should act, and whether current land management has been sufficient. The resolution implicitly criticizes past inaction on large state-controlled parcels, unmanaged invasive grasses, and inadequate evacuation access, especially near housing, schools, and temporary housing. It also raises coordination issues among multiple agencies and local partners, since implementation depends on interagency cooperation, land-use priorities, and infrastructure improvements in a highly sensitive post-fire recovery area.