HB 1611 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Summary

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, when a full general excise tax exemption applies. Beginning 1/1/2027, prohibits the counties from imposing a county surcharge on groceries and nonprescription drugs. Beginning 1/1/2028, provides a general excise tax exemption on the wholesale sale of groceries and nonprescription drugs. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 16, 2026 Last action Feb 18, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB1611 → HB1611_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision shifts the timeline for tax relief on groceries and nonprescription drugs, moving the prohibition of county surcharges to January 1, 2027, and the full state tax exemption to January 1, 2028. It also changes the effective date of the entire act from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 3000, likely as a placeholder or error. The text was also updated to correct grammatical errors and clarify that federal data does not separate resident and tourist food purchases.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on taxing groceries and nonprescription drugs, but the specific dates for when exemptions and surcharge prohibitions take effect have been altered.

TIMELINE

The prohibition on county surcharges for groceries and nonprescription drugs is now set to begin on January 1, 2027, instead of January 1, 2028.

The full general excise tax exemption on the wholesale sale of groceries and nonprescription drugs is now scheduled to begin on January 1, 2028, instead of January 1, 2027.

The effective date of the Act was changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 3000.

TECHNICAL

Minor grammatical corrections were made, such as changing 'data show' to 'data does not show' and adjusting the phrasing regarding food insecurity statistics.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 12, 2026

Committee

Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 256-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Holt, Tam, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to ECD, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 16, 2026

Introduced

Prefiled.

lower

15 primary · 0 co-sponsors