STAND. COM. REP. NO. 423-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2474

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Economic Development & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 2474 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the Governor and Legislature to enter into nonbinding international cooperative agreements with foreign national governments, foreign subnational jurisdictions, and regional intergovernmental partners; and

(2) Authorize the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission to review proposals for sister-state or province partnerships and international cooperative agreements.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee finds that existing law regulating nonbinding international cooperative agreements only allows the State to create sister-state or province partnerships. Your Committee further finds that there is a need to create stronger global ties as the challenges that face the State, such as agriculture and food security, biosecurity, indigenous knowledge preservation, climate resilience, and economic development, cannot be addressed in isolation. This measure enables collaboration with national governments, ministries, and regional organizations throughout Asia and the Pacific by broadening the scope of nonbinding international agreements that the State may enter.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2474, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2474, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Technology,

____________________________

GREGGOR ILAGAN, Chair