HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
|
Rep. Greggor Ilagan, Chair |
|
Rep. Ikaika Hussey, Vice Chair |
|
Rep. Daniel Holt |
Rep. Kyle T. Yamashita |
|
Rep. Adrian K. Tam |
Rep. Joe Gedeon |
|
Rep. Shirley Ann Templo |
|
NOTICE OF HEARING
|
DATE: |
Friday, February 13, 2026 |
|
TIME: |
8:30 am |
|
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 G E N D A
|
RELATING TO TAXATION. Amends and repeals certain exemptions under the general excise tax and use tax laws.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO TAX EXPENDITURE EVALUATION. Requires tax expenditure disclosure to, and evaluation by, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for certain income tax credits and general excise and use tax exemptions.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO BIODIESEL. Requires the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to implement a requirement that, no later than January 1, 2028, diesel fuel sold in the State for use in on-highway diesel-powered motor vehicles contains no less than five per cent biodiesel by volume. Requires the Director to consult with the Department of Transportation and present a comprehensive rollout plan to the public. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
TRN, ECD, CPC |
|
|
RELATING TO HEARING AIDS. Exempts from the general excise tax, gross receipts from the sale of hearing aids received by a hospital, infirmary, medical clinic, health care facility, pharmacy, or a practitioner licensed to administer drugs to an individual. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HLT, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO TAXATION. Establishes an apprenticeship program income tax credit for certain qualified costs incurred by a qualified apprenticeship program. Contains an unspecified sunset date. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
LAB, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO TAX CREDIT FOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES. Restores the provision that makes references to the Internal Revenue Code's base-amount requirement inapplicable to the Research Activities Tax Credit, allowing all qualified research expenses to be claimed without regard to prior-year expenses. Increases the annual cap for the Research Activities Tax Credit.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO LABOR DAY. Establishes a nonrefundable tax credit for employers who provide a paid Labor Day holiday to construction workers. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
LAB, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Establishes the Hawaii Micro-Lending Credit Enhancement Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to expand micro-lending capacity by providing state‑funded loan loss reserves or other credit enhancement that absorbs first losses on qualified micro-loans made by participating lenders to Hawaii small businesses. Allows borrower fees and state matching contributions to capitalize lender-held loan loss reserve accounts. Establishes the Hawaii Micro-Lending Credit Enhancement Special Fund. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO COASTAL RESILIENCE. Establishes a five-year Coastal Resilience Pilot Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for the preservation of Mantokuji Bay. Allows the Pilot Program to be exempt from certain regulatory requirements. Requires the State Historic Preservation Division to conduct a streamlined historic preservation review. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2031. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
WAL, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO THE HAWAII TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. Requires the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to establish the Small Business Innovation Research Matching Program. Requires the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Department of Education, to establish a STEM education outreach program. Requires and appropriates funds for the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to develop an economic diversification strategic plan. Appropriates funds for economic diversification and defense ecosystem development.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES. Establishes the Hawaii Benefits Hub within the Office of Enterprise Technology Services. Expands the responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer to include collaboration on the development and implementation of a statewide portal to government services. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HSH, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. Requires the Workforce Development Council to recommend to the Governor, a comprehensive Statewide Workforce Strategy to inclusion in the State Unified Plan and be responsible for facilitating the alignment of workforce development efforts and programs conducted by state departments and agencies to achieve the State Unified Plan and the Comprehensive Statewide Workforce Strategy. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
LAB, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ROBOTICS. Appropriates funds to the Department of Education to establish robotics as an interscholastic sport. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EDN, ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. Authorizes the Governor and Legislature to enter into nonbinding international cooperative agreements with foreign national governments, foreign subnational jurisdictions, and regional intergovernmental partners. Authorizes the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission to review proposals for sister-state or province partnerships and international cooperative agreements.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO AN HONORARY AMBASSADOR TO CANADA. Establishes an honorary ambassador to Canada position within the Business Development and Support Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Appropriates funds.
|
ECD, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO LABELING REQUIREMENTS. Establishes labeling requirements for ʻōkolehao products.
|
ECD, CPC |
|
|
|
|
|
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 808-586-6530. 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) 586-6530.
|
|
|
________________________________________ Rep. Greggor Ilagan Chair |
|
|
|
|