During the 2026 Hawaiʻi State Legislative Session, HB2584 and SB3308 seek to finally move Hawaiʻi closer to fulfilling a long-standing constitutional obligation: paying the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) its full pro rata share of revenues generated from the Public Land Trust (PLT).
These measures deserve the unified and vocal support of the Native Hawaiian community and all who believe in justice, trust responsibility, and constitutional compliance.
The PLT consists of approximately 1.4 million acres of former crown and government lands transferred to the State of Hawaiʻi at statehood. The Hawaiʻi State Constitution is explicit in how these lands are to be managed.
Article XII establishes that these lands are held in trust for Native Hawaiians and the general public, and Article XII, Section 6, requires that a pro rata portion of all income and proceeds from these lands be transferred to OHA for the betterment of Native Hawaiians.
For almost five decades, this pro rata share has been understood – and codified in state law – as 20%.
Yet despite this clear mandate, the state has never paid OHA its full share. Instead, OHA has received a series of “temporary” fixed payments that fall far short of what 20% of actual PLT revenues would amount to.
While Act 226 (in 2022) represented progress by increasing interim payments and providing partial back pay, it did not resolve the underlying structural problem: the state continues to undercalculate and underpay revenues owed to Native Hawaiians.
The 2026 legislative proposals – including companion measures introduced in the house and senate – aim to correct this inequity on an interim basis while a comprehensive accounting and audit of PLT revenues is completed.
These bills would increase annual revenue transfers to OHA for fiscal years 2026 through 2028, bringing payments closer to the constitutionally required 20%. Importantly, they do not create new obligations; they simply advance compliance with existing ones.
This effort comes at a critical moment. Numerous state agencies generate revenue from PLT lands including the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation, the University of Hawaiʻi, and others.
While state agencies are legally required to report revenues annually, the current system relies heavily on self-reporting and incomplete inventories. As a result, trust revenues have historically been understated and Native Hawaiian beneficiaries have been denied resources intended to support housing, education, healthcare, cultural preservation, and economic self- sufficiency.
Supporting HB2584 and SB3308 is about more than dollars and cents. It is about honoring the promises made at statehood and reaffirmed in our constitution. Article XVI, Section 7 is clear that the legislature must implement trust responsibilities in a way that does not diminish benefits to Native Hawaiians. Continued underpayment does exactly that.
Critically, restoring OHA’s full pro rata share does not take away from the general public – it strengthens the overall trust. When Native Hawaiians are supported through constitutionally guaranteed resources, the broader community benefits from reduced inequality, stronger families, and healthier communities.
OHA programs funded through trust revenues have a proven track record of serving Native Hawaiians statewide, from kūpuna services to higher education scholarships.
The 2026 legislative session presents an opportunity to take a meaningful step toward justice long delayed. These bills are not radical; they are responsible, measured, and rooted in law. They deserve strong testimony, community mobilization, and public pressure on lawmakers to do what should have been done decades ago.
We must support these measures – not only because they are legally correct – but because they are morally right. The time has come to move from temporary fixes to true accountability. Native Hawaiians have waited long enough.
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