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Conference committee approves state budget conference draft, including CIP highlights and line-item adjustments
Summary
A Joint House–Senate conference committee approved House Bill 300 HD 1 SD 1 with amendments after reviewing hundreds of line-item adjustments and presenting CIP highlights covering housing, transportation, education, health and water projects.
A joint House and Senate conference committee approved a conference draft of the state budget, House Bill 300 HD 1 SD 1, following a line‑by‑line review of program adjustments and a presentation of capital improvement project priorities.
The committee reconvened to read agreed page and program IDs and to note adjustments posted on the agree/disagree sheets. Members recited dozens of agency program changes, temporary and permanent FTE adjustments, and fund transfers across departments including Agriculture, Accounting and General Services, Education, Health, Human Services, Transportation and the University of Hawaii. Many program sequences were listed as held or “limboed” pending further action.
During a presentation of capital improvement project (CIP) highlights, committee members outlined major allocations: $240 million for housing financing programs (including rental housing revolving fund and the dwelling unit revolving fund), $68 million for the Kalei Momi development, $37 million for Kauhale development projects, and $35 million for Kupuna supportive housing. The CIP presentation also listed $48 million for agricultural land acquisition, $35 million for a third Hawaii State Veterans Home on Maui (plus $58 million in federal funds), and multi‑year transportation and airport investments. Education allocations included deferred maintenance, health and safety projects, and regional school kitchen funding; health allocations included support for the Keaau Benioff Medical Center and wastewater/drinking‑water projects.
The chair recommended passage “with amendments,” and the conference managers took the roll call. On the House side, a majority of representatives verbally recorded “Aye.” The Senate managers likewise recorded unanimous “Aye” votes, and the chair announced that the committee had approved the bill.
The adopted conference draft includes many technical sequence changes and several items designated as limboed for later resolution; specific dollar amounts and sequence identifiers were recorded in the committee record. The committee recessed and reconvened later to consider other bills.
The bill now proceeds per the standard conference and legislative processes; members said some FY27 items (notably certain salary commission increases) were unresolved and would be addressed in a later session.
