# Hawaii SB 1501: RELATING TO ENERGY.

Hawaii SB 1501, RELATING TO ENERGY., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1) Senate bill sponsored by Glenn Wakai (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-06-06 (Act 191, 06/06/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1291).); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1501-2025
- As of: 2026-10-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii SB 1501
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1)
- Title: RELATING TO ENERGY.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-01-22
- Last action: 2025-06-06, Act 191, 06/06/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1291).
- Sponsor: Glenn Wakai (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: BNF, Public Utilities Commission, Energy, Step-In Agreements, Power Purchase Agreements, Power Purchase Costs Trust Fund, EEP, FIN
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 12 (228 yes, 15 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Requires the Department of Budget and Finance to enter into step-in agreements for payment obligations arising under certain power purchase agreements. Establishes the Power Purchase Costs Trust Fund. Establishes that revenues from on-bill charges for power purchase agreements and money from a surcharge supporting a reserve account shall be held in trust by the Department of Budget and Finance, and that independent power producers shall hold a beneficial interest in the revenues to the extent of the amounts owed under the covered power purchase agreements. Appoints, authorizes, and empowers the electric utility to serve as the billing, collection, and payment agent of the Department of Budget and Finance in the service of performing step-in agreements. (CD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Power producers get backup payments: benefit, low. The Department of Budget and Finance must review and sign qualifying agreements within 90 days after notice. They cover projects from two named power solicitations that had not supplied electricity to the utility before July 1, 2025; the Public Utilities Commission must approve each related applica…
- Power producers face limits on state claims: cost, low. The Department of Budget and Finance does not have to pay more than the trust fund holds. Power producers and utilities cannot seek payment from other State funds for a Department payment default. For a breach of a step-in agreement, the only remedy against the Department is a court order requiring…
- Electric bills fund power backup: mixed, medium. The law set an August 1, 2025 deadline for the Public Utilities Commission to establish a reserve fee for covered power agreements. Utilities must adjust monthly power charges to cover agreement costs, taxes, fees, and added expenses; the reserve account is capped at 15% of forecast monthly power p…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Glenn Wakai (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-30 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 23 | 2 |   |
| 2025-04-30 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 46 | 4 |   |
| 2025-04-25 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-25 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 4 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-03 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 46 | 3 |   |
| 2025-03-31 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-21 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN... | pass | 43 | 3 |   |
| 2025-03-20 | House | The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-04 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 23 | 2 |   |
| 2025-02-27 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-11 | Senate | The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 3 | 1 |   |
| 2025-02-11 | Senate | The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |

## Actions (54)

- 2025-06-06: Act 191, 06/06/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1291). (Senate)
- 2025-06-06: Act 191, on 06/06/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1291). (House)
- 2025-05-02: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 821). (Senate)
- 2025-05-02: Enrolled to Governor. (Senate)
- 2025-05-01: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 888). (House)
- 2025-04-30: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 23; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 2 (Senator(s) Awa, DeCorte). Excused, 0 (none). (Senate)
- 2025-04-30: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with Representative(s) Iwamoto voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Muraoka, Pierick, Shimizu voting no (4) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1). (House)
- 2025-04-25: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-25-25 5:15 PM; Conference Room 309. (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-25-25 5:50 PM; Conference Room 309. (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Hashimoto, Keohokalole, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Yamashita, Kusch, Perruso; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos. (House)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 201). (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 04-30-25. (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 201) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2025-04-25: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 04-30-25. (House)
- 2025-04-24: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 04-25-25 9:15AM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-23: Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-24-25 9:15AM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-21: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 754). (Senate)
- 2025-04-17: House Conferees Appointed: Lowen, Yamashita Co-Chairs; Kusch, Perruso, Alcos. (House)
- 2025-04-17: Senate Conferees Appointed: Hashimoto Chair; Keohokalole Co-Chair; Fevella. (Senate)
- 2025-04-17: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 825). (House)
- 2025-04-04: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 496). (Senate)
- 2025-04-04: Senate disagrees with House amendments. (Senate)
- 2025-04-04: Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 590). (House)
- 2025-04-03: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1936), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2025-04-03: Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Iwamoto voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Muraoka, Pierick voting no (3) and Representative(s) Cochran, Woodson excused (2). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2025-03-31: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Holt, Ward. (House)
- 2025-03-28: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Monday, 03-31-25 3:15PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-03-21: Reported from EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1492) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN. (House)
- 2025-03-21: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with Representative(s) Reyes Oda voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Muraoka, Pierick voting no (3) and Representative(s) Cochran, Garrett, Kapela, Kitagawa, Ward excused (5). (House)
- 2025-03-20: The committee on EEP recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Lowen, Perruso, Kahaloa, Kusch, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward. (House)
- 2025-03-18: The committee(s) on EEP recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 03-20-25 11:30AM. (House)
- 2025-03-18: Bill scheduled for decision making on Thursday, 03-20-25 11:30AM in conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-03-14: Bill scheduled for decision making on Tuesday, 03-18-25 9:20AM in conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-03-12: The committee(s) on EEP recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 03-18-25. (House)
- 2025-03-11: The committee(s) on EEP recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 03-12-25 11:15AM. (House)
- 2025-03-11: Bill scheduled for decision making on Wednesday, 03-12-25 11:15AM in conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-03-07: Bill scheduled to be heard by EEP on Tuesday, 03-11-25 9:00AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-03-06: Pass First Reading (House)
- 2025-03-06: Referred to EEP, FIN, referral sheet 19 (House)
- 2025-03-04: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 23; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 2 (Senator(s) Awa, DeCorte). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 356) in amended form (SD 2). (House)
- 2025-02-28: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1050) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). (Senate)
- 2025-02-28: 48 Hrs. Notice 03-04-25. (Senate)
- 2025-02-27: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, Aquino, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-02-21: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-27-25 10:30AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-02-14: Reported from EIG/CPN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 674) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-02-14: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-02-11: The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EIG were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, DeCoite, Richards, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-02-11: The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in CPN were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fukunaga, Richards; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) Awa; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) McKelvey. (Senate)
- 2025-02-06: The committee(s) on EIG/CPN has scheduled a public hearing on 02-11-25 9:30AM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-01-27: Referred to EIG/CPN, WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-01-23: Introduced and passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2025-01-22: Pending Introduction. (Senate)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_CD1_.pdf)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1291_.PDF)
- SB1501_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_CD1_.HTM)
- SB1501_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_HD1_.HTM)
- SB1501_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_SD1_.HTM)
- SB1501_SD2: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_SD2_.HTM)

## Related bills

- HB 431: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 420: RELATING TO REMEDIES. (signed)
- SB 1296: RELATING TO DISASTER RECOVERY. (signed)
- HB 830: RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS. (signed)
- HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION. (signed)
- SB 1044: RELATING TO THE STABILIZATION OF PROPERTY INSURANCE. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_CD1_.pdf)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1291_.PDF)
- [SB1501_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_CD1_.HTM)
- [SB1501_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_HD1_.HTM)
- [SB1501_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_SD1_.HTM)
- [SB1501_SD2 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB1501_SD2_.HTM)

## Related
- [HB 431: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB431-2025)
- [HB 420: RELATING TO REMEDIES.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB420-2025)
- [SB 1296: RELATING TO DISASTER RECOVERY.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1296-2025)
- [HB 830: RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB830-2025)
- [HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1064-2025)
- [SB 1044: RELATING TO THE STABILIZATION OF PROPERTY INSURANCE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1044-2025)
- [Hawaii bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii/bills)
- [Hawaii state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1501-2025 (as of 2026-10-27).