Finance Committee advances $10 billion 2026-27 state budget to House floor vote

Members of the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives Finance Committee passed House Bill 1800, the chamber’s draft of the state supplemental budget, amending operating and capital improvement budgets for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

The Finance Committee also passed House Bill 2095 in conjunction with the state budget bill, amending the fiscal year 2026-27 budget for Hawaiʻi State Judiciary.

Both budget bills now advance to the House floor for consideration on third reading and are expected to cross over March 18 to Hawaiʻi Senate.

The $10 billion state budget bill prioritizes investments supporting Hawaiʻi families, strengthening essential public services and building long-term resilience for the state’s communities.

Funding is directed toward critical areas such as health and human services, environmental stewardship, disaster preparedness, public safety and education.

“This budget reflects the state’s efforts to step up and address funding gaps created by federal reductions to critical lifeline programs while maintaining a balanced approach that protects essential government services,” said Finance Committee Chairperson Rep. Chris Todd of the Big Island in a state release detailing the budget bills.

Todd explained that the state was left with no alternative but to assume a larger share of costs for essential services such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP and also still commonly referred to as food stamps, as well as Medicaid after federal support was reduced.

That forced House Finance Committee members to prioritize funding so those critical programs remain available to Hawaiʻi communities while balancing needs of other essential state programs.

HB 1800 also includes $1.4 billion in capital improvement funding to support statewide infrastructure, healthcare improvements, education, affordable housing and transportation systems.

“These projects support diverse communities and the many needs of the state, continuing our effort to increase the availability of affordable housing, prioritizing the safety of our communities and supporting the next generation by providing funding for education for preschool and college,” said House Majority Whip and Finance Committee Capital Improvement Projects Chairperson Lisa Kitagawa of O‘ahu in the state release.

The capital improvement budget also makes targeted investments to strengthen environmental resilience, including coastal resource protection, wildfire risk reduction, shoreline preservation and community-based natural resource management — efforts to help Hawaiʻi withstand future challenges.