Const. Art. VII, §6
What happens when the state has extra money
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This is a state budget rule. If the state's general fund has more than a certain amount left over for two years in a row, the legislature must use that extra money in one of three ways: give taxpayers a refund or credit, save it for emergencies, or pay off state debts early.
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The constitution, as written — Of Excess Revenues
A copy, taken August 21, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
Whenever the state general fund balance at the close of each of two successive fiscal years exceeds five percent of general fund revenues for each of the two fiscal years, the legislature in the next regular session shall: (1) Provide for a tax refund or tax credit to the taxpayers of the State, as provided by law; (2) Make a deposit into one or more funds, as provided by law, which shall serve as temporary supplemental sources of funding for the State in times of an emergency, economic downturn, or unforeseen reduction in revenue, as provided by law; or (3) Appropriate general funds for the pre-payment of either or both of the following, as provided by law: (A) Debt service for general obligation bonds issued by the State; or (B) Pension or other post-employment benefit liabilities accrued for state employees. For the purpose of this paragraph, "pre-payment" means a payment for a fiscal year in excess of the minimum payment required for that fiscal year by bond covenant or law.
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.