HB2176 • 2026

RELATING TO FOOD PRICING.

Active

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

Sponsor: ALCOS, GARCIA, HUSSEY, IWAMOTO, MATSUMOTO, PIERICK, QUINLAN, SHIMIZU
Last action: 2026-01-30
Official status: Referred to LMG, FIN, referral sheet 5
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about how the Legislative Reference Bureau will conduct the study, leaving this aspect uncertain.

Study on Food Price Gouging

This bill requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to study how other states regulate price gouging of food products and submit a report with recommendations.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study on how other states handle price gouging for food items.
Includes an analysis comparing grocery prices in Hawaii to those in other parts of the country over the past ten years.
Identifies factors that contribute to price gouging of groceries in Hawaii.

Who It Names or Affects

Hawaii residents who buy groceries
Legislative Reference Bureau

Terms To Know

Price Gouging: The practice of charging very high prices for goods or services during a time of emergency or shortage.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not create new laws or regulations about price gouging; it only requires a study.
It does not specify how the Legislative Reference Bureau will conduct the study.
The bill's effects on grocery prices in Hawaii are uncertain until recommendations and proposed legislation are made.

Bill History

2026-01-30 H
Referred to LMG, FIN, referral sheet 5
2026-01-28 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-26 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO FOOD PRICING.
Price Gouging; LRB Study; Cost of Living; Groceries; Report
Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study on how other states regulate price gouging of food products.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2176

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2176

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

rELATING
TO fOOD Pricing
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
The legislature finds Hawaii ranks as one of
the highest in the nation for cost of living.
�

According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the average
Hawaii resident spends $58,115 per year on personal consumption expenditures.
�
Some of the leading expenses are housing,
utilities, health care, and groceries.
�
The
Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Hawaii�s per capita food cost is
$5,507 a year.
�
For groceries, the
average monthly expenses for one person are $459 or $1,836 for a family of four.
�
Hawaii residents pay a much greater price for
groceries in comparison to the rest of the nation, due to our reliance on
importing goods and our limited agriculture production.
�
Therefore, due to Hawaii's limited access this
leaves many residents susceptible to price gouging on food products.

����
The purpose of this Act is to study
price gouging regulations enacted in other states and provide policy
recommendations.

����
SECTION 2.
�
(a)
�
The
legislative reference bureau shall study and submit a report on the approaches
employed by other states regarding the following food pricing subjects:

����
(1)
�
Government
regulation and oversight to combat grocery price gouging;

����
(2)
�
Price analysis of
groceries in Hawaii compared to the rest of the nation over the past decade;
and

����
(3)
�
Identify the
contributing factors of price gouging of groceries in Hawaii.

����
(b)
�

The
legislative reference bureau shall submit a report of its findings and
recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no
later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2027.

����
SECTION 3.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Price
Gouging; LRB Study; Cost of Living; Groceries; Report

Description:

Requires
the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study on how other states
regulate price gouging of food products.

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