Committee backs HGA loan program language to help homeowners convert cesspools

House Bill 1985, which would enable the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGA) to provide conversion loans for eligible homeowners, advanced with committee amendments to create a revolving loan fund and to allow for forgivable loans for income‑eligible households.

Gwen Yamamoto of HGA said the authority already runs loan programs and recommended using existing servicers and application portals rather than creating new procurement processes. In response to questions about scale, Yamamoto suggested starting with roughly $1,000,000 per year as an initial capitalization if ongoing funding were available; she also said loan forgiveness is feasible to design into the program. Ted Bolen and others testified that low‑interest or forgivable options are necessary to make conversions affordable for low‑ and moderate‑income homeowners. The committee adopted HGA's suggested amendments and directed committee report language to explore green‑fee funds and other sustainable capitalization approaches.