KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Senator Mike Gabbard, Chair |
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Senator Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Vice Chair |
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Senator Lynn DeCoite, Chair |
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Senator Glenn Wakai, Vice Chair |
NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Friday, February 6, 2026 |
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TIME: |
3:00 PM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 224 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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TIMESLOT: |
AEN |
PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY
The Legislature is accepting written, videoconference, and in-person testimony at public hearings.
A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.
A G E N D A
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RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. Transfers oversight of the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation. Transfers the Agricultural Development Division of DAB to the ADC.
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AEN/EDT, WAM |
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RELATING TO AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT. Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to: (1) Establish a four-year Restorative Aquaculture Development Program to reduce aquaculture permit processing time, support aquaculture infrastructure expansion, increase the aquaculture workforce, and pursue federal aquaculture grants; (2) Establish three pilot demonstration sites for restorative aquaculture; and (3) Convene a Restorative Aquaculture Advisory Council. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.
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AEN/EDT, WAM |
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RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LAND. Authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds to the Agribusiness Development Corporation for the purchase of an agricultural parcel for agricultural development. Establishes one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Hawaii Island Property Manager position within the ADC. Appropriates funds.
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EDT/AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE FOOD AND PRODUCT INNOVATION NETWORK. Requires the Food and Product Innovation Network to integrate a coordinated food safety and regulatory framework. Requires the Agribusiness Development Corporation to establish performance indicators for the Food and Product Innovation Network, develop a market access strategy, align and harmonize state branding initiatives, and report certain data to the Legislature. Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to evaluate or adopt enterprise zone initiatives to all counties.
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EDT/AEN, WAM |
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Decision Making to follow, if time permits.
All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.
Please go to the Legislature's website, https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov, to submit written testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Create a free account on the website, or sign in to an existing account, then click on the "Participate" drop down menu and select the "Submit Testimony" option to get started. While submitting your written testimony, you will be prompted to indicate if you would also like to testify at the hearing in-person or remotely via videoconference.
Please note the following:
· The number of oral testifiers and/or time allotted to each testifier may be limited by the Chair when necessary to adhere to the committee hearing schedule. We may not be able to accommodate everyone who requests to testify orally.
· Testifiers for this hearing will be limited to 2 minutes each.
If you wish to testify via videoconference during the hearing, please review the detailed step-by-step instructions for testimony procedures before you submit your written testimony. Here's a direct link to the instructions: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/testimonyinstructions.pdf
For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. You can also visit their website at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.
For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please call the committee clerk at the telephone number listed below or email AENcommittee@capitol.hawaii.gov. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.
For amended notices: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored. If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT 808-586-6830.
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_____________________________________ Senator Lynn DeCoite Chair |
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_____________________________________ Senator Mike Gabbard Chair |
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