Construction Group Backed Hawaii Ballot Measure
The trade consortium spent $200,000 in September to promote a constitutional amendment enabling local bond financing for infrastructure.
Updated on Sept. 27, 2026 in Construction
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The Pacific Resource Partnership, a construction consortium, launched the RISE Together Hawaiʻi committee in August 2026 to support Question No. 2. The ballot measure seeks to amend the state constitution to allow counties to implement bond-financing systems for infrastructure development.
Why it matters
The amendment addresses a constitutional hurdle to county-level infrastructure financing, potentially opening new avenues to fund housing projects. Approval would align Hawaii's development finance tools with 48 other states that already employ similar bond-financing mechanisms.
The Pacific Resource Partnership, representing 6,000 union carpenters and over 250 contractors, reported $200,000 in September advertising spending. This campaign promotes a system currently utilized in 48 other states to fund infrastructure.
The players
Pacific Resource Partnership
A consortium representing the 6,000-member Hawaiʻi Regional Council of Carpenters and over 250 local contractors.
RISE Together Hawaiʻi
A ballot issue committee formed to advocate for the passage of Question No. 2.
The details
If passed, the amendment allows counties to establish special tax districts to fund infrastructure, a power the attorney general noted was previously constitutionally restricted. Counties would then sell bonds to investors, repaying the debt through revenue generated by projects within those specific tax districts. This mechanism is designed to provide local governments with the necessary capital to build infrastructure required for new housing developments.
Timeline
August 2026: RISE Together Hawaiʻi committee formed.
September 2026: The committee executed $200,000 in television advertising buys.
October 1, 2026: State campaign spending reports for the committee are due.
Market Landscape
This amendment marks an attempt to modernize Hawaii's local development finance tools to match those found in 48 other states. The move follows the attorney general's finding that the current state constitution prevents counties from utilizing similar bond-financing structures.
Contractors and developers should monitor the election outcome as it could fundamentally change how local infrastructure for housing is financed. If the amendment passes, stakeholders should prepare for new county-led special tax districts and associated project bidding requirements.
The takeaway
The proposed constitutional change could significantly expand public infrastructure capacity by allowing local bond-backed financing. Operators should note that campaign efforts are currently focused on educating voters that blank ballots effectively count as no votes.
What happens next
State campaign spending reports for the RISE Together Hawaiʻi committee are due on October 1, 2026.
Further reading
For more on development trends, see Construction.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Honolulu Civil Beat.
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