HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2026

 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS

Rep. Cory M. Chun, Chair

Rep. Matthias Kusch, Vice Chair

 

Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa

Rep. Sean Quinlan

Rep. Nicole E. Lowen

Rep. Lauren Matsumoto

Rep. Amy A. Perruso

 

 

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

DATE:

Friday, February 6, 2026

TIME:

9:01 AM

PLACE:

VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE

Conference Room 325

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

 

 

 

Click here to submit testimony and to testify remotely or in person.

 

A live stream link of all House Standing Committee meetings will be available online

shortly before the scheduled start time.

 

Click here for the live stream of this meeting via YouTube.

 

 

 

A G E N D A

 

HB 1572

Status

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.

 

AGR, JHA, FIN

HB 2119

Status

RELATING TO COFFEE PEST CONTROL.

Temporarily reestablishes the Coffee Berry Borer and Coffee Leaf Rust Pesticide Subsidy Program and the program manager position, including the position's civil service and collective bargaining laws exemption.  Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to report to the Legislature.  Appropriates funds for the operation and implementation of the Pesticide Subsidy Program.

 

AGR, LAB, FIN

HB 2139

Status

RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES.

Appropriates funds to the University of Hawaii to conduct a study on effective treatment methods to reduce populations of the Queensland Longhorn Beetle.

 

AGR, HED, FIN

HB 2459

Status

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.

 

AGR, ECD, CPC

HB 2194

Status

RELATING TO LEI.

Requires and establishes benchmarks for each state executive agency to ensure that a certain percentage of lei purchased by that executive agency consists of lei made entirely of natural objects and plant materials grown, harvested, and assembled in the State.  Establishes labeling requirements for lei and lei materials.

 

AGR, CPC, FIN

HB 2561

Status

RELATING TO FERAL ANIMALS.

Designates feral chickens on public lands, in a city with a population of three hundred thousand or more, as a controllable pest for purposes of public health and nuisance prevention.  Prohibits the intentional keeping, maintaining, or supporting of feral chickens on state or certain city lands, including by feeding or placing chickens in such areas.  Prohibits the abandonment of chickens on public lands or on private property without consent.  Establishes fines and authorized enforcing agencies.

 

AGR, WAL, JHA

 

 

 

 

DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW

 

Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing.  Testimony received after this time will be stamped late and left to the discretion of the chair to consider.  While every effort will be made to incorporate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed, may not be processed.

 

Testimony submitted will be placed on the legislative website.  This public posting of testimony on the website should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.

 

The chair may institute a per-testifier time limit.

 

Committees meeting in the morning must adjourn prior to the day's Floor Session.  Therefore, due to time constraints, not all testifiers may be provided an opportunity to offer verbal comments.  However, written submissions will be considered by the committee.

 

Please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior.  Violations may result in ejection from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.

 

For remote testifiers, the House will not be responsible for bad connections on the testifier's end.

 

For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.

 

The livestream and/or cable TV broadcast of this meeting will include closed captioning.  If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation (including oral, written, or ASL interpretive services) or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee clerk at (808) 586-6170. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.

 

Click here for a complete list of House Guidelines for remote testimony.

 

FOR AMENDED NOTICES:  Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are bolded.

 

For more information, please contact the Committee Clerk at (808) 586-6170.

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________

Rep. Cory Chun

Chair