STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1814-26
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2026
RE: S.B. No. 2835
S.D. 1
H.D. 2
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2026
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 2835, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LIQUOR,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Specify that a class 10 special license may be granted for a period not to exceed three days per application;
(2) In counties with fewer than two hundred thousand residents but more than one hundred thousand residents, amend application requirements for class 10 special licenses, including requirements related to electronic submission, naming, and single applications for certain adjacent parcels of land, and prohibit the conditional acceptance of applications based on certain factors; and
(3) Increase the maximum percentage of fines assessed by county liquor commissions that may be used to fund public liquor-related educational or enforcement programs.
Your Committee finds that nonprofit organizations and community groups on Maui frequently rely on temporary class 10 liquor licenses to conduct fundraisers and cultural events that support local services and community engagement. Your Committee further finds that streamlining the application process for these licenses, including permitting electronic submissions and reducing duplicative clearance requirements, would lessen administrative burdens on local organizations and allow them to better focus on serving the community. At the same time, your Committee finds that increasing the portion of liquor commission fines that may be used for alcohol education and enforcement will strengthen public safety by supporting education efforts and responsible enforcement. Taken together, this measure balances the needs of community organizations with the State's interest in promoting public health and accountability.
Your Committee has
amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that special licenses for certain fundraising events by nonprofit organizations, political candidates, and political parties, pursuant to commission rule, may be approved by the liquor commission administrator;
(2) Clarifying the prohibition on off-premises consumption of liquor sold under a class 10 license to recognize the existing statutory exemptions already established;
(3) Specifying that certain provisions related to applications and limitations on county authority are limited to counties with populations of fewer than two hundred thousand residents but more than one hundred thousand residents; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2835, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2835, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,
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____________________________ SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI, Chair |
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