Office of the Governor – News Release – Gov. Green Delivers 2025 State of the State Address

STATE OF HAWAIʻI
KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR
KE KIAʻĀINA

GOVERNOR GREEN DELIVERS 2025 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS: "UNITING TO OVERCOME OUR CHALLENGES"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2025

HONOLULU - Governor Josh Green, M.D., today addressed the people of Hawai'i in his annual State of the State speech, emphasizing unity, resilience and progress while outlining an ambitious agenda for the future. Speaking to an audience of state legislators, cabinet members and community leaders, Governor Green reflected on Hawai'i's collective achievements over the past two years and reaffirmed his commitment to tackling the state's most pressing challenges.

"The state of Hawai'i is strong," Governor Green declared. "By uniting as one 'ohana, we have weathered incredible hardships and made meaningful progress on critical challenges-from affordability to housing, homelessness to health care, and to Maui's recovery. These challenges demand bold action and unwavering commitment, and together, we are proving that no obstacle is too great when we stand with purpose and compassion. Hawai'i's best days are ahead of us, and I am committed to building a brighter future where every family can thrive in the place we all call home."

Key Initiatives and Accomplishments Highlighted in the Address:

Affordability
Governor Green highlighted significant strides to reduce Hawai'i's cost of living, including:

• Doubling the earned income and food tax credits, benefiting families statewide.
• Enacting the largest income tax cut in Hawai'i's history, providing $5.6 billion in relief over seven years.
• Aiming to reduce the tax burden for working families and encourage economic growth across the islands.

Affordable Housing
Hawai'i is leading an unprecedented effort to expand housing opportunities, including:

• Accelerating the development of nearly 7,000 affordable housing units through emergency proclamations.
• Tracking over 62,000 units in development over the next decade, including 46,000 designated as affordable.
• Requesting $500 million for housing initiatives in the upcoming biennium budget to support workforce housing and Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.

Homelessness
Governor Green reaffirmed his commitment to cutting homelessness in half by 2026:

• Expanding kauhale (tiny home) villages to 17 statewide as of today, with 30 villages planned by 2026.
• Allocating $50 million annually for kauhale development and increasing investments in Housing First and rapid re-housing programs.
• Reporting a 76% reduction in health care costs for housed individuals, underscoring the economic and social benefits of compassionate solutions.

Maui Recovery
Governor Green detailed ongoing recovery efforts following the 2023 Maui wildfires:

• Investing more than $2 billion in federal disaster relief and $800 million in state funds to support survivors and rebuild communities.
• Ensuring long-term housing for 99% of displaced residents through innovative interim and permanent housing projects.
• Enhancing statewide wildfire prevention measures, including deploying early alert sensors, and reestablishing the State Fire Marshal office and increasing funding by $2.2 million.

Health Care
The Governor spotlighted health and public safety advancements, including:

• Launching the Health Care Education Loan Repayment Program (HELP) to address the shortage of health care professionals in rural and underserved areas.
• Significant financial investments in rural hospitals, behavioral health centers and Medicaid improvements.
• Dedicated more state and federal funds to raising Medicaid rates - improving care for 450,000 of the most vulnerable people in our state.

Public Safety
The Governor spotlighted critical advancements in public safety, including:

• Passing two new gun safety laws, designating sensitive places where firearms are prohibited and providing active-shooter training in public and charter schools to ensure safer communities.
• Hosting two successful gun buyback events, collecting approximately 1,000 firearms - including assault rifles, ghost guns, and semi-automatic weapons - and removing them from Hawai'i's streets.
• Establishing the Illegal Fireworks Task Force, which has seized 227,000 pounds of illegal fireworks, and pursuing legislation to ensure only safe and legal fireworks are used in the state.

Climate and Environment
Hawai'i continues to lead on climate action by:

• Permanently shutting down the Red Hill fuel facility.
• Implementing recommendations from the Climate Advisory Team to mitigate the effects of climate-related disasters by funding resiliency efforts across the state
• Partnering with youth advocates and organizations to champion emissions reductions and sustainable transportation solutions.

Looking Ahead
Governor Green concluded with a vision of hope and determination, emphasizing transformative projects like modernizing Hawai'i's stadium, pursuing food security reforms and enhancing justice systems. "We will continue to dream big in our state, pursuing major transformative projects and initiatives in the years ahead," he said.

A full copy of the speech can be found here.

The speech may be viewed in its entirety via Governor Green's Facebook page, here.

Images from the third annual State of the State Address will be uploaded here; photo credit Office of the Governor.

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Media Contacts:
Erika Engle
Press Secretary
Office of the Governor, State of Hawai'i
Phone: 808-586-0120
Email:[email protected]

Makana McClellan
Director of Communications
Office of the Governor, State of Hawaiʻi
Cell: 808-265-0083
Email: [email protected]

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