Budget & Taxes

passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1562: RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Establishes the Combined Housing Operational Agriculture Mobilization Program to assist bona fide farmers to live and farm on agricultural lands. For taxable years beginning 1/1/2026, establishes a tax credit for land donated to the Program. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes tax credit for land donations to agricultural program and appropriates funds, providing tax relief and funding for farming housing initiative.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 345: RELATING TO PUBLIC FINANCING.

Increases the amount of partial public campaign financing available for all elective offices. Adjusts the minimum amount of qualifying contributions certain candidates must receive to participate in the program. Increases the matching fund payments for excess qualifying contributions. Appropriates funds for the program and staff. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly appropriates funds for public campaign financing program, increasing budget allocation for campaign finance administration and matching payments.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1444: RELATING TO THE GENERAL EXCISE TAX.

Authorizes general excise tax exemptions for residential care services provided by certain licensed health care facilities pursuant to a contract with the Adult Mental Health Division of the Department of Health. Effective 1/1/26. (SD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAuthorizes tax exemption for mental health care facilities, reducing their tax burden to support public service funding under state contracts.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill provides tax exemptions for mental health residential care services, reducing costs for facilities and improving access to mental health care under DOH contracts.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1528: RELATING TO CIGARETTE TAXES.

Beginning 1/1/2026, increases the cigarette tax from sixteen cents to eighteen cents and amends the disposition of cigarette tax revenues by allocating the increase in the cigarette tax amount to the Hawaii Cancer Research Special Fund. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases cigarette tax revenue allocation to Hawaii Cancer Research Special Fund, directly funding an essential health program per tax increase language.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 530: RELATING TO BRAILLE LITERACY.

Establishes Braille literacy as a policy of the State. Requires literacy assessments for eligible low vision and blind students to include Braille instruction and the use of Braille. Authorizes the Department of Education to adopt administrative rules. Establishes the Braille Literacy Resource Center. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates funds for Braille Literacy Resource Center and Braille instruction, directly funding an educational program per budget policy.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates Braille literacy in assessments for low vision/blind students, establishes a Resource Center, and appropriates funds to advance educational access for visually impaired students.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1418: MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.

Provides an emergency appropriation for the Department of Human Services to reinvest in the ongoing development of a new eligibility system for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Makes an emergency appropriation for fiscal year 2024-2025. Declares that the general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2024-2025 has been exceeded. (SD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides emergency appropriation for SNAP eligibility system, increasing state expenditure to fund essential nutrition program per budget/funding indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1553: RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Appropriates moneys from the Act 279 Special Fund for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to purchase a parcel of land identified as tax map key: (1) 9-1-013-025. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates Act 279 Special Fund moneys for DHHL land purchase, advancing budgeted program funding under appropriations.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1543: RELATING TO GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY.

Requires each purchasing agency to provide justification for hiring external consultants. Caps the amount each agency can spend on external consultants. Requires each agency to seek approval from the Legislature for consulting contracts exceeding a certain dollar amount. Requires each agency to disclose new contracts with external consultants. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Requires the Compliance Audit Unit to conduct regular audits of agency consultant contracts to assess cost-effectiveness and compliance. Requires each chief procurement officer to ensure that inherent government functions are not delegated to a contractor. Effective 1/1/2491. (SD2)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill imposes spending caps, audit requirements, and disclosure on consultant contracts to enhance fiscal accountability and control government spending, aligning with fiscal responsibility indicators.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1610: RELATING TO OHANA ZONES.

Establishes the Ohana Zones Program as a program within the Statewide Office on Homelessness and Housing Solutions. Authorizes the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to exempt ohana zones projects from general excise taxes. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExempts housing projects from general excise taxes (tax relief) and appropriates funds for the Ohana Zones Program, supporting housing initiatives through fiscal policy.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingEstablishes Ohana Zones Program under homelessness/housing office, exempts projects from taxes, appropriates funds - directly advances affordable housing development and homelessness solutions.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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passed · Hawaii · Senate Dec 8, 2025

SB 1633: RELATING TO HEMP.

Establishes a Green Building Tax Credit for costs related to the construction of a primary structure made with at least thirty per cent Hawaii-grown hemp material. Allows any hemp processor with a permit from the Department of Health to sell an edible or beverage cannabinoid product that contains a tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 2.5 milligrams per serving and not more than twenty-five servings per package. Prohibits the sale of an edible or beverage cannabinoid product to any person less than twenty-one years of age. Establishes child-resistant packaging requirements for edible cannabinoid products. Clarifies the tetrahydrocannabinol concentration limit for a non-edible legacy cannabinoid product or manufactured hemp product shall be subject only to federal restrictions. Amends the definition of "hemp biomass" to include stalks and foliage material. Requires the Department of Health to establish a dedicated hemp program to regulate hemp that is separate from the regulatory process for cannabinoid products with a high concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes Green Building Tax Credit for hemp construction, providing direct tax relief under Budget & Taxes policy framework.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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