Policy and Legislation
Take a look at what Surfrider Hawai'i is working on for the 2025 Legislative session
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Over 3,000 bills are introduced each year at the state level. These bills govern everything from how tax payer money is spent to laws that help protect our ocean, waves, and beaches throughout Hawaiʻi. In addition to state-wide legislation, each of the four counties in Hawaiʻi (Kauaʻi, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, and the City and County of Honolulu/Oʻahu) pass laws that govern action at the County level. Our local chapters on each island lead and prioritize county-level legislation, while state level legislation is a combined effort led by the Hawaiʻi Regional Manager. Below are our 2025 priority bills at the Hawaiʻi state level.
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- Learn How to Submit Testimony
Take Action
We need your help keeping the following bills alive
The following bills need to be scheduled for hearing in the next few days or they will die. Please contact the Chairs of the relevant committees by phone or email. Tell them that you support the bills and ask them to schedule a hearing.
- Restoring Beach Lands: HB 1137 HD1 - JHA Committee Chair David Tarnas, reptarnas@capitol.hawaii.gov, 808-586-8510) / SB 1456 - WAM Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov, 808-586-6090
- Hanakaō‘ō Beach Park Dune Restoration: SB 1559 WAM Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov, 808-586-6090
- Cesspool Conversions: SB 675 SD1 WAM Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov, 808-586-6090
- Banning Single-Use Plastic Toiletries in Hotels: HB 348 HD1 FIN Chair Kyle Yamashita, repyamashita@capitol.hawaii.gov, 808-586-6200
- Requires newly installed or modified individual wastewater systems near a shoreline to include denitrification capacity: HB 379 HD2 CPC Chair Scot Matayoshi repmatayoshi@capitol.hawaii.gov 808-586-8470
Your message can be short. If you would like, you can also briefly share your own story about why the bill is important. Here is a sample:
Dear Chair Dela Cruz,
I am writing because I care about protecting Hawaiʻi's beaches and ensuring clean water for everyone. Three important bills are waiting to be scheduled for hearing in your Ways and Means committee.
- SB 1465 Restoring Beach Lands
- SB 675 Cesspool Conversions
- SB 1559 Hanakaō‘ō Beach Park Dune Restoration
Clean water and healthy beaches are critically important for the state, its people, and its economy. Please hear these bills.
Thank you.
Phase out small plastic toiletry bottles in lodging establishments: HB 348
Our Surfrider Chapters in Hawai’i are determined to reduce plastic pollution in hotels by passing statewide bills, HB348 and SB670.
These bills seek to phase out mini personal care plastic packaging (shampoos, conditions, lotions, and soaps) at hotels and other lodging establishments in Hawai’i. Instead, hotels will install bulk dispensers or use non-plastic packaging for their personal care products.
As of December 2024, the State of Hawaiʻi received over 9.5 million visitors in 2024, over six times the state's population. The visitor industry significantly contributes to plastic pollution which often ends up on beaches and in the ocean. With over 150 hotels in Hawaiʻi, this would save millions of single-use bottles every year.
Support this proactive measure which prioritizes more sustainable choices that protect our ocean.
Current Status: Passed TOU (1/28) and EEP (2/13) committees, referred to FIN committee.
HB 348 resources:
Expand definition of Beach Restoration: HB 1137/ SB 1456 - Support!
In response to accelerating beach loss and increasing sea levels, this bill updates the state’s beach restoration policy to include managing native vegetation and removing abandoned materials that threaten the ecosystem. This update will make it possible for existing Beach Fund resources to support a broader range of efforts to restore and maintain beaches and dunes.
Current Status:
- HB 1137: Sitting with the House Committee on the Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs. Needs to be scheduled for hearing soon or the bill will die.
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SB 1456: Sitting with the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Needs to be scheduled for hearing soon or the bill will die.
Upcoming Hearings:
- None (as of February 20, 2025).
Past Hearings:
- SB 1456 PASSED Senate Committee on Water and Land. Read Surfrider’s testimony in SUPPORT here (page 4).
- HB 1137 PASSED House Committee on Water and Land.
Dune Restoration at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach Park, Maui: SB 1559- Support!
Hanakaō‘ō Beach Park is a prime location for cultural practices, community gathering, and outrigger canoeing in Lahaina, Maui. This bill funds dune restoration at the park by the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program in partnership with the County of Maui. Dune restoration is a nature-based, low-impact solution that helps the beach serve as a natural buffer against rising seas.
Current Status:
- Sitting with the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Needs to be scheduled for hearing soon or the bill will die.
Upcoming Hearings:
- None (as of February 20, 2025).
Past Hearings:
- PASSED Senate Committee on Higher Education. Read Surfrider’s testimony in SUPPORT here (page 5).
SB 1559 Resources:
Save Kakaʻako Makai, Stop SB 534/HB 605- Oppose!
SB 534 and HB 605 are part of an Office of Hawaiian Affairs proposal for Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority to approve residential development in the Kakaʻako Makai area. If approved, it would allow other parcel owners to build similar 400 foot towers along Ala Moana Blvd. In 2006, lawmakers banned residential development on lands makai of Ala Moana Boulevard. This bill would lift that restriction.
This area has complex environmental concerns- history as garbage incinerator and dump site, labeled a “contaminated brownfield” by EPA. Disruption from construction of such areas, especially for structural supports for 400’ft towers, will likely result in seepage of these contaminants into surrounding recreational waters (e.g. Kewalo Basin, Ala Moana Beach Park, Sand Island, etc.) and impact marine life (consumable) and protected species (e.g. green sea turtles, monk seals, dolphins, etc.) that frequent the coastal area.
Current Status:
- Sitting in Senate Ways and Means and Judiciary Committees.
SB534 Resources:
Our Goal- Reduce the Impact of Cesspools on Coastal Waters in Hawaiʻi
Hawaii’s 88,000 cesspools are one of the biggest threats to water quality across the state, discharging 53 mgd sewage into coastal waters. In recent years, Surfrider has played a key role in successfully urging the state government to finally move away from relying on these antiquated and ineffective systems for managing household wastewater. A state-level Cesspool Task Force has been established to develop a workable plan for getting all Hawaii residents off of cesspools by 2050 that includes identifying priority areas for conversion and recommendations for new treatment options. While this work is ongoing, Surfrider has been supporting new legislation every year to further the state’s progress towards meeting the 2050 goal.
Create a Cesspool Conversion Branch at DOH: HB 749/ SB 675
Establishes a dedicated Cesspool Conversion Section within the Department of Health Wastewater Branch, funding three new staff positions. The Department of Health is understaffed, causing delays in cesspool upgrade projects. Adding staff will accelerate approvals, improve project timelines, and help homeowners transition to cleaner, more affordable wastewater solutions—ultimately protecting Hawai‘i’s water quality and coral reefs.
Current Status:
- HB 749: Passed by the House Committee on Finance. Set to cross over to the Senate.
- SB 675: Referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Needs to be scheduled for hearing soon, or the bill will die.
Upcoming Hearings:
- HB749: None (as of February 20, 2025).
- SB 675: None (as of February 20, 2025).
Past Hearings:
HB 749:
- PASSED. House Committee on Finance.
- PASSED. House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection. Read Surfrider’s testimony in SUPPORT here (page 19)
SB 675:
- PASSED Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, and Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment. Read Surfrider’s testimony in SUPPORT here (page 7).
Bill Resources
Fund UH to evaluate affordable wastewater technologies: HB 736/ SB 1232
Hawai‘i can save cesspool owners and governments money by adopting cost-effective wastewater solutions without compromising water quality. Solving Hawaiʻi’s wastewater problem will require innovation. These bills establish a three-year pilot program at the University of Hawaiʻi Water Resources Research Center to test sustainable wastewater solutions.
Current Status:
- HB 736: Passed by the House Committee on Finance. Set to cross over to the Senate.
- SB 1232: Passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Set to cross over to the House.
Upcoming Hearings:
- None (as of February 20, 2025).
Past Hearings:
HB 736:
- PASSED House Committee on Finance.
- PASSED House Committee on Higher Education.
- PASSED House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection.
SB 1232:
- PASSED Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
- PASSED Senate Committee on Higher Education, and Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment.
Bill Resources
Denitrification capacity for shoreline individual wastewater systems: HB379 HD 2 - Support!
Wastewater systems near the coast pose a serious risk to fragile marine ecosystems and pose public health risk. This bill would protect coral reefs and ocean water quality by requiring denitrification capacity in newly installed or modified individual wastewater systems that are near the shoreline and likely to pollute reefs.
Current Status:
- HB379 Referred to the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce. Needs to be scheduled for hearing soon, or the bill will die.
Upcoming Hearings:
- None (as of February 20, 2025).
Past Hearings:
HB 379:
- PASSED House Committee Environment and Protection with amendments.
- PASSED House Committee on Water and Land with amenments.
Bill Resources
Learn how to submit testimony!
When a bill is scheduled for hearing, you may submit testimony. First you must register on the Capitol website here to create a log-in account. Along with testimony, log-in accounts also allow users to track individual bills and to receive hearing notifications by email.
Registration requires the following information: your name, email, and a password for the log-in account. After creating your account for the Hawaiʻi State Legislature website, you may submit your testimony on any bill you want!
Follow these testimony tips to make the most impact!
- Make it personal- Tell a story of how this measure impacts you.
- Back it up with evidence or data- Even if that data is your own personal observations
- Leverage other testimony- Take a look at previous testimony submitted on the bill page under 'Testimony' on the right for help on crafting your talking points.
- Submit 24 hours PRIOR to the hearing to ensure your testimony gets reviewed by the committee
When you are ready to submit testimony, follow these steps:
- Login to your account
- Click the “submit testimony” button
- Enter bill or measure #
- Click “Support”
- Enter your affiliation
- Select method (written / in person / zoom)
- Attach or enter testimony
2025 VICTORIES
VICTORY- Protect free parking and ocean access at Ala Wai Boat Harbor, Stop SB 364
Surfrider O'ahu Chapter along with Save Ala Wai Surf Parking organized community members to oppose and block this effort and SB 364 was deferred on February 3rd, 2025 in the Committee on Water and Land. Companion HB 210 was never scheduled a hearing.
Bill Resources