SB 2263 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS.

Summary

Establishes a goal for the State to achieve a ranking among the top 10 states in the nation for business competitiveness by 2045. Defines and requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to select a "ranking metric" and establishes interim goals. Requires DBEDT to establish a working group to develop and recommend policies that improve Hawaii's business competitiveness. Requires annual reports to Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 15, 2026 Last action Feb 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB2263 → SB2263_SD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill update transitions the document from a Senate draft to a Senate District 1 revision, updating metadata such as the sponsor, bill number, and template version. Substantively, the text reorganizes the statutory sections to define key terms like 'Department' and 'Director' before establishing the business competitiveness goals and working group requirements. The effective date of the law was significantly extended from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2050, likely to allow more time for implementation or to align with the 2045 goal horizon.

Scope change

The scope of applicability remains the same, targeting the State of Hawaii's business competitiveness, but the internal structure of the law was modified to include explicit definitions for the Department and Director prior to outlining their duties.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the Act was changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2050.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added for 'Department' and 'Director' to clarify the specific agency and leadership roles responsible for the bill's requirements.

REQUIREMENT

The statutory sections were reorganized to define terms before outlining the ranking metric selection and working group duties, improving the logical flow of the law.

TECHNICAL

Metadata fields including the bill title, sponsor name, and legislative template revision numbers were updated to reflect the new SD1 status.

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

Feb 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.

upper

Feb 12, 2026

Committee

Reported from EDT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2207) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDT were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) DeCoite, Fukunaga, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Wakai, Kim.

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-05-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to EDT, WAM.

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and passed First Reading.

upper

Jan 15, 2026

Introduced

Pending Introduction.

upper

5 primary · 6 co-sponsors