HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Rep. Greggor Ilagan, Chair |
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Rep. Ikaika Hussey, Vice Chair |
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Rep. Daniel Holt |
Rep. Kyle T. Yamashita |
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Rep. Adrian K. Tam |
Rep. Joe Gedeon |
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Rep. Shirley Ann Templo |
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AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 |
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TIME: |
8:30 am |
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PLACE: |
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE Conference Room 423 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 M E N D E D A G E N D A
The following measure(s) has been ADDED to the agenda: HB1458
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RELATING TO PERMITS. Establishes specific deadlines within the facilitated application process to obtain a permit and requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to establish certain resources and processes to help streamline permit applications. Establishes and appropriates funds for positions within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.
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ECD, WAL, FIN |
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RELATING TO ESSENTIAL PERMITTING POSITIONS. Establishes a pilot program to improve the speed, accountability, and quality of permit processing through targeted staffing, performance incentives, and interdepartmental competition within participating counties. Authorizes a mayor to designate any number of positions as essential permitting positions across departments involved in permit review, permit processing, or both. Authorizes the payment of a minimum differential payment to assist in employee recruitment and retention. Authorizes the hiring of essential permitting positions at salaries above the minimum salary within the approved salary range. Requires personnel departments to prioritize the hiring of individuals into essential permitting positions over other positions. Authorizes counties to use revenues from the county surcharge on state tax pursuant to pay for pilot program expenses. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2031.
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ECD, LAB, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE HAWAII TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Requires the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to establish the Hawaii Made IT Program to certify local information technology vendors for use by state and county agencies in procurement. Establishes vendor requirements. Establishes reporting requirements.
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ECD, FIN |
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RELATING TO STATE ENTERPRISE ZONES. Increases the number of enterprise zones that may be nominated by each county. Authorizes enterprise zone designation for census tracts that contain the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Allow businesses not established in an enterprise zone to qualify for enterprise zone benefits; provided that they have entered into a binding collaboration or contract with a business that is established in the census tract that contains the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine or the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.
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ECD, HED, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM. Establishes and appropriates funds into and out of the Hawaii Employer-Led Sector Partnerships Special Fund. Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to coordinate its sector partnership activities with the Workforce Development Council.
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ECD, LAB, FIN |
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RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Establishes a Hilo-Kona transportation pilot program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to study, plan, evaluate, implement, and trial transportation routes and services connecting Hilo and Kona.
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ECD, TRN, FIN |
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RELATING TO TAX CREDITS. Requires that income tax credits existing on 12/31/2026 include a sunset on 12/31/2030. Requires that income tax credits established or renewed after 12/31/2026 include a sunset 7 years after the date of enactment or renewal of the tax credit. Provides for exceptions.
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ECD, EEP, FIN |
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RELATING TO TAXATION. Beginning 1/1/2027, establishes a yearly reduction in the general excise tax rate on groceries and nonprescription drugs on a tiered schedule, until 1/1/2034 and thereafter, when a full general excise tax exemption applies. Beginning 1/1/2028, provides a general excise tax exemption on the wholesale sale of groceries and nonprescription drugs. Beginning 1/1/2027, prohibits the counties from imposing a county surcharge on groceries and nonprescription drugs.
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ECD, JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO SPORTS WAGERING. Allows for the regulation of sports wagering by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Establishes licensing requirements for sports wagering operators and sports wagering suppliers. Establishes a general excise tax to be levied on sports wagering operator licenses. Establishes the Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment Special Fund to be administered and expended by the Department of Health. Specifies that legal sports wagering and fantasy sports contests shall not be considered contests of chance or gambling. Authorizes the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to perform criminal history record checks on applicants and licensees relating to sports wagering.
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ECD, JHA/CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO GAMING. Beginning 8/1/2027, authorizes gaming on cruise ships while a cruise ship is traveling within any state waters or for specified times while docked at a state harbor. Imposes a twenty per cent wagering tax on the adjusted gross receipts derived from gaming on cruise ships. Requires the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to report to the Legislature.
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ECD, CPC/JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO TAXATION OF ADVERTISING REVENUE BY MAJOR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. Directs the Department of Taxation to apply the state corporate income tax to advertising revenue earned by major social media platforms if the revenue is derived from content created within the State or from audiences located in the State. Establishes the Broadband and Digital Equity Special Fund to receive those revenues to fund initiatives expanding broadband access and local journalism initiatives. Appropriates funds.
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ECD, CPC, FIN |
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DECISION-MAKING
The following measure(s) were previously heard on Friday, January 30, 2026. No public testimony will be accepted.
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RELATING TO PUBLIC PROCUREMENT. Requires purchasing agencies to apply a local preference to Hawaii businesses in evaluating bids or proposals. Establishes criteria for a Hawaii business to qualify for a local preference. Establishes tiered local preference percentages to be applied based on bid price. Establishes procedures for contract awardees who fail to meet or maintain the preference criteria.
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ECD, FIN |
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RELATING TO PROCUREMENT. Establishes the Small Business Procurement Program and Small Business Procurement Coordinator position permanently in the State Procurement Office. Repeals the Small Business Assistance Initiative established in Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022. Appropriates funds.
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ECD, FIN |
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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.
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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) 586-6530.
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________________________________________ Rep. Greggor Ilagan Chair |
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