Hawaii constitutional amendment on resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity (RISE) bonds referred to November 202

The Hawaii State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment to the Nov. 3, 2026, statewide general election ballot that would authorize counties and other local governments to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds, also known as RISE bonds. Legislators approved the amendment on May 6, 2026, sending it to voters for consideration.

The ballot measure would amend Article VII, Sections 12 and 13 of the Hawaii Constitution to authorize political subdivisions, such as counties, to issue resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds to finance public works projects and other housing and community development expenses.

Additionally, the amendment would make the bonds payable from real property taxes and include them on the list of exemptions used to calculate a county's debt limit.

In Hawaii, a legislatively-referred constitutional amendment can be certified for the ballot in two ways:



https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/05/08/hawaii-constitutional-amendment-on-resilient-infrastructure-for-shelter-and-equity-rise-bonds-referred-to-november-2026-ballot/