Advancing bills crossed over from one side of the Legislature to the other on Thursday, reducing the number of bills alive from over 3,000 to under 800. In the Senate, 1,669 bills were whittled down to 390. In the House, 375 bills survived out of 1,503. These bills must now pass through more committees and floor votes, be agreed upon by both bodies and avoid the governor’s veto to become law. So scrutiny grows more intense over the next several weeks, and the public must remain vigilant to keep decision-making transparent.
Among the survivors so far, with far-reaching consequences:
w House Bill 504 addresses these islands’ crisis-level need for environmental conservation and remediation, establishing an environmental fund as one stream of support for preserving Hawaii’s natural resources. As the bill states, underinvestment in conservation “poses a significant liability to the visitor industry and to Hawaii’s residents” — affecting not only natural preserves, but our economic resilience, food systems, water quality, fisheries, health and safety. Funding will be used for projects that reduce risks from climate crises, such as clearing invasive grasses to prevent out-of-control wildfires, or addressing coastal erosion and degradation of coral reefs to protect against damage from high seas or tsunami.
HB 504’s current iteration establishes a $20 transient accommodation tax (TAT), levied for each night of a commercial stay. A portion would go to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) for environmental stewardship. Another portion would establish a “Reimbursable General Obligation Bond Debt Service Special Fund” to back high-cost projects with bonds. Passing this legislation and establishing a dedicated fund is a must, for the benefit of residents and tourists alike.
Hotels have made a robust recovery since COVID-19 and the Maui fires, even with only a partial return of Japanese tourists, and post-COVID, hoteliers have raised hotel room prices to record-breaking heights. To minimize impact on locals seeking affordable hotel stays while optimizing revenue, it’s preferable to add this TAT as a percentage — say, 10%, so that the “green” room tax for a $150 room is $15, and for a $1,000 room, $100. This would ensure that tourists here for a luxury experience can provide proportionate assistance to Hawaii’s environmental efforts.
w On behalf of Hawaii’s natural and built environments, it’s time to officially reform the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), making state efforts to fight off invasive species obligatory. Both Senate Bill 1100 and House Bill 427 do so, renaming HDOA as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and establishing a deputy chairperson for biosecurity.
SB 1100 requires HDOA to form a biosecurity emergency response team, mandates licensing and training of additional biosecurity inspectors, and requires HDOA to forge government-industry “agreements” on detecting and responding to unwanted pests or organisms. It also transfers the Hawaii Invasive Species Council from the DLNR to HDOA — a move that makes sense on paper, if the Legislature requires verifiable cooperation from HDOA.
HB 427 authorizes HDOA to declare a biosecurity emergency under certain conditions, giving HDOA and the governor special powers. A similar bill authorizing the governor to requisition boats for emergency purposes last year was vetoed; HB 427 prescribes more restrictions.
Biosecurity breaches can quickly place entire stocks of prized species at risk, as the voracious coconut rhinoceros beetle has with Hawaii’s beloved coconut palms. Legislators must act with all urgency to establish a biosecurity team and address this problem, with or without emergency powers.
Among other ag bills of interest, SB 252 authorizes HDOA to inspect any item moved into Hawaii from the continental U.S. or between islands, prohibits the sale of infested or infected stock and authorizes HDOA to compel quarantine, treatment or destruction of materials if necessary. It also significantly increases penalties for violations, from a low of $100 (previously $50 for a misdemeanor) to a high of $200,000 for a Class C felony. HDOA has been asleep at the wheel on invasives for years, to Hawaii’s lasting detriment; this legislation is required.
w The House’s state biennium budget bill, HB 300, includes a pragmatic line item: placing $200 million into the state’s emergency reserve fund, in anticipation that federal cuts may lead to shortfalls in essential services such as health care or food assistance for very low-income residents. As the late-notice need for $40 million in “critical” repairs at the Hawaii State Hospital shows, big-ticket “emergencies” can easily arise, so allotting more into the state’s “rainy day fund” seems prudent.
The House budget proposal — about $20.48 billion in fiscal 2026, then $20.22 billion in 2027 — includes more than $13 million over those two fiscal years for 166 positions to staff the state’s expanded pre-kindergarten programs. Hawaii’s commitment to make pre-K available to families at every income level and in every school district is a landmark achievement in improving the state’s quality of life, so the funding is justified.
