Policy Progress
Below is a complete list of passed legislation introduced by Luke.

Hawai’i State Legislature

HB 1718
Passed, 2026 session
- Gives counties expanded authority to develop and finance mixed-use housing projects in transit-oriented areas.

HB 1721
Passed, 2026 session
- Builds on the state’s expedited permit program, which allows architects and engineers to self-certify that their plans meet code by clarifying insurance and indemnification requirements.

HB1728
Passed, 2026 session
Requires counties to allow rainwater catchment systems, ensuring housing can be built on lots where the county does not provide additional water service

HB 1737
Passed, 2026 session
Allows accessory homes on agricultural land statewide, with guardrails— units cannot be CPR’d off the main house and must be under 800 square feet.

HB 1740
Passed, 2026 session
Exempts housing developments from certain state and county zoning, building code, and fee requirements when 80% of units are perpetually deed-restricted to owner-occupant Hawai’i residents.

HB 1741
Passed, 2026 session
Strengthens county affordable housing policies by grounding them in real data— so the requirements deliver homes for local families instead of stopping projects from getting built.

HB 1920
Passed, 2026 session
Expands flexibility for the state’s low-income housing tax credit by allowing developers and partners to sell or transfer credits to other taxpayers, making affordable housing projects significantly easier to finance and extends the program through 2032.

SB 3219
Passed, 2026 session (Evslin companion bill)
Proposes a constitutional amendment to allow counties to finance housing infrastructure, such as roads, water, and sewer systems, by using future property tax growth within designated development areas to repay bonds, without raising tax rates.

SB 2398
Passed, 2026 session (Evslin companion bill)
Requires county water boards to publish online maps of their service areas and a list of service-restricted areas, improving transparency on where water infrastructure is available.

HCR 83
Passed, 2026 session
Supporting the use of the dwelling unit revolving fund to fund predevelopment costs for any government affordable housing development project through interim loans to expedite the delivery of affordable housing.

HB 422
Passed, 2025 session
-Repeals costly state permitting fees for small-scale development, reducing the cost of housing.

SB 1263 (Evslin companion bill)
Passed, 2025 session
-Streamlines historic preservation reviews for projects near transit, expediting housing development while preserving historic and cultural resources.

HB 732
Passed, 2025 session
- Increases the valuation thresholds for SMA minor permits not located on the shoreline, facilitating more efficient processing of housing permits.

HB 736
Passed, 2025 session
-Establishes a pilot program at the University of Hawai’i to test new wastewater technologies, aiming to improve water quality while decreasing the cost of individual wastewater systems.

HB 735
Passed, 2025 session
-Eliminates the restrictions of two dwelling units per septic system providing more flexibility to families to add additional dwelling units to a single septic system.

HB 420
Passed, 2025 session
-Clarifies the process for construction defect claims, including notice requirements and mediation procedures, to ensure timely and fair resolution of disputes.

HB 1409
Passed, 2025 session
-Funds mixed-income housing and incentivizes counties to allow more housing near transit stations.

HB1316
Passed, 2025 session
-Mandates that all rental kayaks on the Wailua River must be registered and numbered with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, reducing overcrowding on the river and ensuring that residents have exclusive access on the weekends.

HCR 66
Passed, 2025 session
-Requests that the state building code council permit a single stairwell to serve apartment buildings less than six stories, saving money and enabling buildings to fit on smaller lots.

SB 3202 (Evslin companion bill)
Passed, May 1, 2024
- Legalizes two ADUs per residential lot (with significant flexibility for the counties to determine implementation), prohibits covenants from restricting against ADUs, reduces impact fees for small homes, eliminates impact fees for homes that convert to multifamily without increasing the size of the house, and streamlines residential subdivisions within the urban state land use district.

HB 2090
Passed, May 1, 2024
- Requires the counties to allow multifamily residential development in all commercially zoned areas and significantly reduces barriers for the repurposing of existing commercial buildings into residential homes.

HB 1633
Passed, May 1, 2024 (vetoed by the governor)
- Repeals the leasing restriction on units built by owner-builders who obtain an owner-builder exemption.

HR 121
Passed, March 28, 2024
- Recognizing that low density development patterns often cost more to mantain and service than they contribute in property taxes, the resolution urges the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to develop a methodology that determines whether a development will contribute to the long-term fiscal sustainability of the State and respective county and to develop a visual mapping analysis of current development patterns showing estimated value per acre to help compare the productivity of various development patterns throughout Hawai’i.

Kaua’i County Council

Bill No. 2891
Passed, February 22, 2023
- Provides a tax credit for long-term rental or owner occupied homes that were classified as “residential investor” but failed to file the proper forms.

Bill No. 2888
Passed, November 16, 2022
- Allocates 2% of Real Property Tax Revenue to affordable housing construction.

Bill No. 2872
Passed, 2022
- Creates three property tax tiers for the Residential Investor (vacant homes) and Vacation Rental property tax class. The value of homes less than $1M are in tier 1, between $1M and $3M in tier 2, and over $3M in tier 3. The intent is to shift the cost of government services onto higher end homes more capable of paying and to incentivize these homes to convert to long-term rentals or owner-occupancy.

Budgetary motion
Failed, May 13th, 2022
- Moved to increase Vacation Rental property tax rate by $1, with $100K allocated towards an EV-charging infrastructure rebate program and the remaining allocated $4.5M towards affordable housing.
For more info, click here to view TGI article.

Bill No. 2842
Passed, March 9th, 2022
- As part of our obligation to the Kaua’i Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan, the bill prohibits feeding cats in county parks and prohibits the abandonment of cats islandwide.
For more info, click here for an overview of the bill and click here to view the TGI article.

Bill No. 2824
Passed, March 9th, 2022
- Prohibits covenants and other agreements that run with the land from prohibiting against ARUs, ADUs, guest houses, and long-term rentals. As a way to address our housing and homelessness crisis, this is to ensure that homeowners can build additional housing on their property and long-term rent portions of their home as long as those uses are within the confines of the County zoning code.
For more info, click here to view TGI article.

Bill No. 2838
Passed, December 1st, 2021
-Prohibits glamping and other types of commercial developed campgrounds from agricultural and open zoned land passed. The intent is to ensure that we do not lose our agricultural and open zoned lands to tourist accommodations.
For more info, click here to view the TGI article.

Bill No. 2837
Passed, November 17th, 2021
- Establishes a program within the Kaua’i County Housing Agency to cover 100% of the cost of septic conversion for selected applicants.
For more info, click here for an overview of the program and click here to view the TGI article.

Resolution No. 2021-20
Passed, April 21st, 2021
- Signs Kaua’i onto the Digital Equity Declaration and encourages broadband connectivity to underserved areas while supporting policy to advance digital connectivity and equity.

Resolution No. 2021-11
Passed, February 24th, 2021
- Urges in-person education and youth sports for Kaua’i schools as long as the metrics for Kaua’i SARS-CoV-2 transmission remain within the CDC and DOH metrics for safe openings.

Resolution No. 2020-57
Passed, November 25th, 2020
- Urges the Governor to re-impose a mandatory quarantine on arriving visitors until they can receive a second SARS-CoV-2 test after a scientifically based period of time.
For more info, click here to view TGI article.

Bill No. 2795
Signed into law, September 10th, 2020
- Because property taxes for homes within a commercial building are taxed at the higher Commercial property tax rate rather than the Homestead or Residential rates, the bill creates two new property tax exemptions to incentivize the conversion of commercial units into housing units, with a more significant exemption for affordable units.

Bill No. 2805
Signed into law, December 16th, 2020
- Authorizes Department of Parks and Recreation to charge non-residents to park in county beach parks and directs them to implement a study into the degree of harm resulting from overcrowding of our beach parks.

Bill No. 2767
Failed
- Ensures all TVR and Resort property are taxed at their respective rates.
For more info click here for an editorial in TGI and click here for a Powerpoint overview of the bill

Resolution Regarding the Facilities Reserve Charge
Passed, December 4th, 2019
- Urges the Board of Water Supply to reduce the Facilities Reserve charge for multi-family units, smaller homes, and additional rental units certified as affordable by the Housing Agency.
- *update Board of Water supply voted to reduce the FRC to $9,800 for ARUs and Guest Houses on December 19th, 2019
Bill No. 2761
Signed into law, December 23rd, 2019
- Defines a tiny house and allows their construction in all zoning districts.
For more info…

Bill No. 2755
Signed into law, April 23rd, 2020
- Removes minimum lot sizes for multifamily homes.
For more info…
Bill No. 2740
Signed into law, November 12th, 2019
- Waives Zoning Permit Filing Fee and Processing Fee and sets up an ARU subsidy account within the current Housing Development Fund to subsidize the Facilities Reserve Charge (which can go as high as $14,150) for affordable ARUs.
For more info on all of the ARU bills…

Bill No. 2741
Signed into law, November 12th, 2019
- Waives environmental impact assessment fee for affordable ARUs.

Bill No. 2742
Signed into law, November 12th, 2019
- Extends the Housing Development Fund to allow it to be used for subsidizing the FRC for affordable ARUs.

Bill No. 2743
Signed into law, November 12th, 2019
- Waives the Wastewater Treatment Capacity Fee ($3900) for ARUs.

Bill No. 2744
Signed into law, November 12th, 2019
- Waives all building permit fees (which includes plumbing and electrical permits) for affordable ARUs.

Bill No. 2745
Signed into law, December 23rd, 2019
- Allows ARUs to be built within SPA-D (Rice St).
For more info…

Bill No. 2756
Signed into law, September 11th, 2019
- Provides access to existing beneficial property tax rates and exemptions to families with property with no living owners on title.
For more info…

Bill No. 2751
Signed into law, July 8th, 2019
- Simplifying the long-term affordable rental program by removing the annual affidavit requirement for multi-year leases and allowing the homeowner to sign an affidavit that lasts the same duration as the lease.
For more info…

Bank of America Settlement Resolution
Passed, April 10th, 2019
- Supporting the Governor’s efforts in urging the Bank of America to return to Hawai’i to meet with Na Po’e Kokua and the Hawai’i Fair Lending Coalition to reach a settlement agreement relating to a $150,000,000 loan commitment for native Hawaiians on Hawaiian Home Lands.
For more info…

Luke is dedicated to a life of public service. 

Born on Kauaʻi in 1984, he is the son of Dr. Lee and Micki Evslin. Luke grew up in Kapaʻa with his three older siblings Tanya, Noah, and Nathaniel. While in his final year at college he co-founded Kamanu Composites, the Oʻahu based outrigger canoe manufacturing company, with two of his closest friends from Kauaʻi High School.

Read more about Luke...

Read the latest from my campaign blog...

Housing

Housing costs are high because the supply isn’t meeting demand. To bring the cost of housing down, we need to build more homes and encourage more housing options, like ʻohana houses, apartments, and duplexes. This doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice Kauaʻi's character and quality of life. Instead of turning more open space and agricultural land into housing developments, we need to strengthen our town centers and revitalize existing communities. Read More...

Economy

Kauaʻi is more dependent on tourism than any other island in Hawaiʻi. It is imperative that we expand our economy without expanding the number of visitors to our island. The county council needs to make it easier for farmers and manufacturers to start and grow their businesses. And we must ease onerous restrictions that make it difficult for families to run businesses from their homes.  Read More...