HCR 144 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND BIOSECURITY TO COLLABORATE WITH STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.

This bill requests the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to work with state agencies, county governments, and community organizations to create a comprehensive statewide food security strategy. The plan would assess barriers to food access across Hawaii's diverse communities and recommend policies to reduce food costs while expanding access to nutritious, culturally appropriate foods. The strategy must align with existing state laws and coordinate with local food security efforts, with findings and recommendations submitted to the Legislature by 2028.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Governor

Introduced Mar 16, 2026 Last action Apr 27, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HCR144_HD1 → HCR144_HD2 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from House Draft 1 to House Draft 2, primarily expanding the scope of the food security strategy to explicitly include individuals with disabilities and functional needs. The draft also reorganized the list of required agencies to coordinate, added a new requirement to support community-driven solutions, and corrected the title of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. These changes aim to make the statewide plan more inclusive and better aligned with existing disability support systems.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly require the assessment of barriers for individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs, and to align strategies with existing programs serving these populations.

SCOPE

Added explicit requirement to assess barriers for individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement to align strategies with existing programs like SNAP and Medicaid for individuals with disabilities.

Added a new requirement to support community-driven solutions promoting independence and dignity.

Reorganized the list of coordinating agencies, correcting the title of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to 'Board of Trustees' and adding the Chair of the Interagency Food Systems Working Group.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the age range description from '18 to 29' to 'eighteen to twenty-nine' for clarity.

Removed redundant agency listings and formatting artifacts from the previous draft.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Resolution adopted in final form.

lower

Apr 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report and Resolution Adopted. Transmitted to House.

upper

Apr 24, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from GVO/AEN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3914) with recommendation of adoption.

upper

Apr 17, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in AEN were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Rhoads, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Richards, DeCoite.

upper

Apr 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on GVO recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in GVO were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Gabbard, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Moriwaki, Awa.

upper

Apr 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on GVO/AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 04-16-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.

upper

Apr 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to GVO/AEN.

upper

Apr 10, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 577).

upper

Apr 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Adopted as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1).

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1910-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending adoption.

lower

Apr 8, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Templo, Yamashita; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Gedeon.

lower

Apr 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on ECD as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).

lower

Apr 2, 2026

Committee

Reported from AGR (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1719-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending referral to ECD.

lower

Mar 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Chun, Kusch, Kahaloa, Lowen; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Perruso, Quinlan, Matsumoto.

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to AGR, ECD, referral sheet 19

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Introduced

Offered

lower

8 primary · 0 co-sponsors