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HB554 • 2026

RELATING TO STATE HOLIDAYS.

RELATING TO STATE HOLIDAYS.

Active

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

Sponsor
CHUN, AMATO, GARRETT, GRANDINETTI, KAHALOA, LAMOSAO, LEE, M., MIYAKE, PERRUSO, POEPOE, TAKENOUCHI, TODD
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effective date is set for July 1, 3000, which seems unusual and might indicate that the bill will not be enacted in the near future.

Designating Lunar New Year as a State Holiday

This bill designates the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice each year as the Lunar New Year and establishes it as an official state holiday in Hawaii.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds the Lunar New Year to the list of state holidays.
  • Designates the date for Lunar New Year based on lunar cycles, specifically the day of the second new moon after winter solstice.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Residents of Hawaii who celebrate the Lunar New Year
  • State government agencies responsible for observing holidays

Terms To Know

Lunar New Year
A holiday celebrated by many Asian cultures based on lunar cycles, marking the beginning of a new year.
Winter solstice
The shortest day of winter and the start of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how or if schools, businesses, or other institutions will observe this new holiday.
  • It is unclear when exactly the Lunar New Year will be observed each year due to variations in lunar cycles.
  • The effective date of July 1, 3000, suggests that this bill may not become law until then.

Amendments

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

HD1

1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment designates the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice as Lunar New Year but does not make it a state holiday.

  • Adds a section to Hawaii Revised Statutes to designate the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice as 'Lunar New Year'.
  • Clarifies that this designated day is not a state holiday.
  • The amendment takes effect on July 1, 3000, which seems to be an error or placeholder and may change in future versions of the bill.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-02-11 H

    Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Ward excused (2).

  3. 2025-02-11 H

    Reported from CAA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 364) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

  4. 2025-02-05 H

    The committee on CAA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Kapela, Kong, Garrett, Lee, M., Sayama; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Reyes Oda.

  5. 2025-01-30 H

    Bill scheduled to be heard by CAA on Wednesday, 02-05-25 10:30AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.

  6. 2025-01-21 H

    Referred to CAA, FIN, referral sheet 2

  7. 2025-01-21 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  8. 2025-01-17 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO STATE HOLIDAYS.
Day of Observance; Lunar New Year
Designates the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice of each year as the Lunar New Year. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB554

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

554

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

Relating
to State Holidays
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
The
legislature finds that 2024 marks the two‑hundred thirty-fifth
anniversary of the first arrival of Asian immigrant workers in the State.
�
As of July 1, 2022, approximately 37.1 per
cent of the State's population, over five hundred thousand residents, were of
Asian descent.

����
The legislature recognizes that the Asian
community in Hawaii has made significant contributions to the State's social,
civic, and economic success, as well as its diverse and vibrant culture, which
includes the celebration of the Lunar New Year.
�

The Lunar New Year is joyously observed by numerous residents in the
State and is celebrated by more than two-thirds of Chinese, Korean, Japanese,
and Vietnamese Americans across the United States.
�
The Lunar New Year provides a time to renew
one's family ties; reflect upon the past year; and wish for good fortune,
health, and prosperity in the year ahead.

����
The legislature also finds that the United
States House of Representatives introduced resolutions recognizing the cultural
and historical significance of the Lunar New Year in 2021 and 2023; California
recognized the Lunar New Year as a state holiday in 2022; and New York
recognized the Lunar New Year as a public-school holiday in 2023.

����
The legislature further finds that, by
establishing the Lunar New Year as a state holiday in Hawaii, the State can
honor its rich cultural history, demonstrate its commitment to cultural
diversity, and extend its best wishes for peace and prosperity to all who
celebrate this important occasion.

����
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to:

����
(1)
�
Designate
the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice of each year as the
Lunar New Year; and

����
(2)
�
Establish
the Lunar New Year as a state holiday.

����
SECTION
2
.
�
Section 8-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�8-1

�
Holidays designated.
�
The following days of each year are set apart
and established as state holidays:

����
The
first day in January, New Year's Day;

����
The
third Monday in January, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day;

����
The
day of the second new moon after the winter solstice, Lunar New Year;

����
The
third Monday in February, Presidents' Day;

����
The
twenty-sixth day in March, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day;

����
The
Friday preceding Easter Sunday, Good Friday;

����
The
last Monday in May, Memorial Day;

����
The
eleventh day in June, King Kamehameha I Day;

����
The
fourth day in July, Independence Day;

����
The
third Friday in August, Statehood Day;

����
The
first Monday in September, Labor Day;

����
The
eleventh day in November, Veterans' Day;

����
The
fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving Day;

����
The
twenty-fifth day in December, Christmas Day;

����
All
election days, except primary and special election days, in the county wherein
the election is held;
and

����
Any
day designated by proclamation by the President of the United States or by the
governor as a holiday."

����
SECTION 3.
�

New statutory material is underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED
BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Public
Administration; State Holidays; Lunar New Year

Description:

Designates
the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice of each year as the
Lunar New Year.
�
Establishes the Lunar
New Year as a state holiday.

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