RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Agriculture Budget Labor

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: CHUN
Last action: 2026-02-04
Official status: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on ECD with Representative(s) Alcos, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Reyes Oda, Shimizu voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Amato, Garcia, Muraoka, Perruso, Pierick voting no (5) and Representative(s) Kitagawa excused (1).
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text indicates that this Act will take effect on July 1, 3000. This seems unusual and may be an error.

Moving Agriculture Branches to a New Corporation

This bill transfers certain powers, duties, personnel, property, and materials from the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch and Agricultural Development Division of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

What This Bill Does

Transfers all responsibilities, tasks, staff, equipment, and records of the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.
Moves all duties, employees, property, and materials of the Agricultural Development Division from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.
Ensures that state employees who move with their jobs do not lose any benefits or privileges.
Keeps existing rules, policies, procedures, and documents in place until they are updated by the new corporation.

Who It Names or Affects

The Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity
The Agricultural Development Division of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity
Employees working for these branches or divisions

Terms To Know

Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC): A corporation that will take over certain duties from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
Tenure: Job security for state employees who have been working in their positions for a long time.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how this transfer will affect the day-to-day operations of these branches and divisions.
It is unclear what changes, if any, will be made to rules and policies after they are transferred to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment transfers the powers, duties, personnel, personal property, and materials from two branches of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

Transfers all rights, powers, functions, and duties of the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch and the Agricultural Development Division of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.
Ensures that officers and employees transferring to the corporation retain their salaries, seniority, benefits, and do not need to take an examination for their new positions if they meet minimum qualifications.
Transfers all appropriations, records, equipment, files, supplies, contracts, books, papers, documents, maps, and other personal property related to these branches to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

The amendment specifies that it will take effect on July 1, 3000, which seems unusual and may be a placeholder or error.
Details about how the transfer of duties and personnel will actually occur are not provided in this text.

Bill History

2026-02-04 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on ECD with Representative(s) Alcos, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Reyes Oda, Shimizu voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Amato, Garcia, Muraoka, Perruso, Pierick voting no (5) and Representative(s) Kitagawa excused (1).
2026-02-04 H
Reported from AGR (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 9-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to ECD.
2026-01-30 H
The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Chun, Kusch, Kahaloa, Lowen, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Matsumoto; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Perruso; and Excused: none.
2026-01-27 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by AGR on Friday, 01-30-26 9:30AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-26 H
Referred to AGR, ECD, FIN, referral sheet 1
2026-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-16 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
DAB; ADC; Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch; Agricultural Development Division; Transfer
Transfers powers, duties, personnel, personal property, and materials of the Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch and Agricultural Development Division of the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development Corporation. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1606

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1606

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to agriculture
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION 1.
�
All rights,
powers, functions, and duties of the aquaculture and livestock support services
branch of the department of agriculture and biosecurity are transferred to the
agribusiness development corporation.

����
All officers and employees whose functions
are transferred by this Act shall be transferred with their functions and shall
continue to perform their regular duties upon their transfer, subject to the
state personnel laws and this Act.

����
No officer or employee of the State having
tenure shall suffer any loss of salary, seniority, prior service credit,
vacation, sick leave, or other employee benefit or privilege as a consequence
of this Act, and such officer or employee may be transferred or appointed to a
civil service position without the necessity of examination; provided that the
officer or employee possesses the minimum qualifications for the position to
which transferred or appointed; and provided that subsequent changes in status may
be made pursuant to applicable civil service and compensation laws.

����
An officer or employee of the State who
does not have tenure and who may be transferred or appointed to a civil service
position as a consequence of this Act shall become a civil service employee
without the loss of salary, seniority, prior service credit, vacation, sick
leave, or other employee benefits or privileges and without the necessity of
examination; provided that such officer or employee possesses the minimum
qualifications for the position to which transferred or appointed.

����
If an office or position held by an officer
or employee having tenure is abolished, the officer or employee shall not
thereby be separated from public employment, but shall remain in the employment
of the State with the same pay and classification and shall be transferred to
some other office or position for which the officer or employee is eligible
under the personnel laws of the State as determined by the head of the
department or the governor.

����
SECTION 2.
�

All rights, powers, functions, and duties of the agricultural
development division of the department of agriculture and biosecurity are
transferred to the agribusiness development corporation.

����
All officers and employees whose functions
are transferred by this Act shall be transferred with their functions and shall
continue to perform their regular duties upon their transfer, subject to the
state personnel laws and this Act.

����
No officer or employee of the State having
tenure shall suffer any loss of salary, seniority, prior service credit,
vacation, sick leave, or other employee benefit or privilege as a consequence
of this Act, and such officer or employee may be transferred or appointed to a
civil service position without the necessity of examination; provided that the
officer or employee possesses the minimum qualifications for the position to
which transferred or appointed; and provided that subsequent changes in status may
be made pursuant to applicable civil service and compensation laws.

����
An officer or employee of the State who
does not have tenure and who may be transferred or appointed to a civil service
position as a consequence of this Act shall become a civil service employee
without the loss of salary, seniority, prior service credit, vacation, sick
leave, or other employee benefits or privileges and without the necessity of
examination; provided that such officer or employee possesses the minimum
qualifications for the position to which transferred or appointed.

����
If an office or position held by an officer
or employee having tenure is abolished, the officer or employee shall not
thereby be separated from public employment, but shall remain in the employment
of the State with the same pay and classification and shall be transferred to
some other office or position for which the officer or employee is eligible
under the personnel laws of the State as determined by the head of the
department or the governor.

����
SECTION 3.
�

All appropriations, records, equipment, machines, files, supplies,
contracts, books, papers, documents, maps, and other personal property
heretofore made, used, acquired, or held by the department of agriculture and
biosecurity relating to the functions transferred to the agribusiness
development corporation shall be transferred with the functions to which they
relate.

����
SECTION 4.
�

All rules, policies, procedures, guidelines, and other material adopted
or developed by the department of agriculture and biosecurity to implement
provisions of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that are reenacted or made applicable
to the agribusiness development corporation by this Act shall remain in full
force and effect until amended or repealed by the agribusiness development
corporation pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

����
In
the interim, every reference to the department of agriculture and biosecurity
in those rules, policies, procedures, guidelines, and other material is amended
to refer to the agribusiness development corporation, as appropriate.

����
SECTION 5.
�

All deeds, leases, contracts, loans, agreements, permits, or other
documents executed or entered into by or on behalf of the department of
agriculture and biosecurity, pursuant to the provisions of the Hawaii Revised
Statutes, that are reenacted or made applicable to the agribusiness development
corporation by this Act shall remain in full force and effect.
�
Upon the effective date of this Act, every
reference to the department of agriculture and biosecurity or the chairperson
of the board agriculture and biosecurity therein shall be construed as a
reference to the agribusiness development corporation or the executive director
of the agribusiness development corporation, as appropriate.

����
SECTION 6.
�

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DAB; ADC;

Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch; Agricultural
Development Division; Transfer

Description:

Transfers
oversight of the
Aquaculture and Livestock Support Services Branch of
the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to the Agribusiness Development
Corporation.
�
Transfers the Agricultural
Development Division of DAB to the ADC.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.