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HB856 • 2026

RELATING TO THE COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES.

RELATING TO THE COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES.

Agriculture Budget Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
KUSCH, AMATO, CHUN, GARRETT, GRANDINETTI, HUSSEY, IWAMOTO, KAHALOA, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, KILA, KITAGAWA, MARTEN, MATAYOSHI, MIYAKE, PERRUSO, POEPOE, QUINLAN, SOUZA, TAKAYAMA, TARNAS
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the specific roles of community coordinators beyond connecting the college to communities for educational opportunities.

Funding for Agricultural Technicians and Coordinators

This bill provides funding to create eight full-time agricultural technician positions and four full-time community coordinator positions at the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides money for eight new full-time jobs as agricultural technicians.
  • Funds four new full-time jobs as community coordinators.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

Terms To Know

FTE
Full-Time Equivalent, which is a way to measure the workload of an employee as if they were working full-time.
Agricultural technician
Someone who works in agriculture doing tasks like research and maintenance at farms or agricultural stations.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the positions will be filled.
  • It is unclear if this funding will continue beyond fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-01-23 H

    Referred to HED, FIN, referral sheet 3

  3. 2025-01-23 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  4. 2025-01-21 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES.
University of Hawaii at Manoa; Agriculture; Invasive Species; Employment; Technicians; Coordinators; Appropriation ($)
Appropriates funds for eight full-time agricultural technician, and four full-time coordinator positions at University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB856

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

856

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the college of tropical agriculture and human RESOURCES
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that permanent
agricultural technician positions and community coordinator positions within
the university of Hawaii college of tropical agriculture and human resources
are needed to successfully implement the college of tropical agriculture and
human resources' mission through its agricultural research and extension
stations initiatives.
�
These initiatives:

����
(1)
�
Serve as hubs for area and region-specific
agricultural research, education, and community engagement; and

����
(2)
�
Support local farmers and ranchers, and offer
educational programs for all ages, from keiki to adults.

����
The
legislature further finds that although the college of tropical agriculture and
human resources provides crucial support for local farmers, ranchers, and
communities, their research and extension operations are hampered by a lack of
permanent agricultural technician positions.
�

These technicians are essential for the establishment and
maintenance of experimental
and demonstration plant and animal trials
,
as well as the
upkeep of station
facilities and equipment.
�
Community
coordinator positions connect
college of tropical agriculture and human
resources
to the communities with education and farming opportunities for
local families and keiki.

����
Accordingly,

the purpose of this Act is to
establish and fund
eight full-time (8.0 FTE)
agricultural technicians
and four
full-time (4.0 FTE) community coordinator positions
to provide support to the college's research
and extension stations
, local community resilience,
and the State's highly valued agricultural
industries that are challenged with economically damaging pests, disease,
climate and production issues
, agricultural and natural resources
educational outreach, and agriculture workforce development
.

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,250,000 or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so
much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the college of
tropical agriculture and human resources at the university of Hawaii at Manoa
to establish eight full-time equivalent (8.0 FTE) agricultural technician
positions and four-full time equivalent (4.0 FTE) community coordinator
positions.

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the
university of Hawaii college of tropical agriculture and human resources for
the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 3.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

University
of Hawaii at Manoa; Agriculture; Invasive Species; Employment; Technicians;
Coordinators; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates
funds for eight full-time agricultural technician, and four full-time
coordinator positions at University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical
Agriculture and Human Resources.

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