STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2738

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2354

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2354, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to help connect newly registered small businesses with state resources.

More specifically, this measure requires the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to:

(1) Make available online certain contact information for newly registered entities; and

(2) Transmit the contact information to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism's Business Development and Support Division.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; Hawaii Food Industry Association; and Molokai Ohana Community Health Center.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from Trained by Tina LLC and one individual.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Business Registration Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and one individual.

Your Committee finds that many small businesses are unaware of the services offered by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Making a new business's contact information available to state agencies at the time the business registers with the State will help the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism expand outreach efforts and increase the use of grants, workforce programs, technical assistance, disaster guidance, and other services offered by the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2354, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair