Gov. Green announces intent-to-veto list

News admin June 27, 2026 0 Comments

Gov. Green announces intent-to-veto list

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Gov. Josh Green announced Friday that four measures passed by the State Legislature are on his intent-to-veto list.

There were 267 pieces of legislation from the 2026 session for Green to consider.

Green has not yet officially vetoed any measures and is not required to veto every bill on his Intent-to-Veto list. However, he can only veto bills on that list.

“Of the 267 bills reviewed, only a handful have landed on this list through extensive legal and fiscal analysis,” Green said. “Our assessments are guided by sincere dedication to our community, taking each opinion into consideration, with the goal of making decisions that truly reflect what is best for Hawaii.”

Green has until July 15 to issue his final vetoes. All remaining bills will become law on that date.

The bills being considered for veto, line-item veto, or reductions include one bill relating to housing, one related to emergency funding, and two education bills.

SB2338 deals with compensation of state housing leaders, is under additional review to see if current provisions can be used to accomplish the same goals.

SB2600 would deposit funding into Hawaii’s rainy day fund, which is set aside for emergencies.

In the governor’s written veto rationale, he said, “It would be financially imprudent to transfer $50 million in general fund money to the emergency budget reserve fund (Rainy Day fund). The current balance of the Rainy Day fund of more than $1.5 billion is the largest it has ever been.”

SB3262 establishes a method for selecting an executive director of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

The governor said he is further reviewing the bill to prevent ambiguity or confusion about the specific duties of the HTSB and the state Board of Education.

Lastly, HB2344 would establish a commission to make recommendations regarding school consolidations, realignments, and closures.

In the governor’s rationale for veto consideration says further review is needed to determine if the Department of Education and/or the Board of Education can achieve the goals laid out for the proposed commission.

“Our team has been working diligently to review the 267 bills passed by the legislature this session, most of which will become law,” Green said.

In response to the Green’s veto list, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura said in a statement:

“We are pleased that because of the collaboration between the House, Senate, and Green Administration, there only four bills on the Intent to Veto list. The House will review the listed measures and determine next steps.”