KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Hawaii

SB2154 • 2026

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Agriculture Budget
Active

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

Sponsor
RICHARDS, CHANG, ELEFANTE, FUKUNAGA, GABBARD, KANUHA, KIDANI, MCKELVEY, Hashimoto, Moriwaki, San Buenaventura, Wakai
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

What This Bill Does

  • RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
  • DAB; Agricultural Markets Study; Report; Agricultural Statistics Service; Positions; Appropriations ($) Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to conduct a study of agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers.
  • Requires a report to the Legislature.
  • Appropriates funds for the one-year study of agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

SD1

1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: SB2154 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.

  • SB2154 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.
  • NO.
  • 2154 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 S.D.
  • 1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE .

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 S

    Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.

  2. 2026-02-03 S

    Reported from AEN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2105) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

  3. 2026-01-28 S

    The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in AEN were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Richards, DeCoite, Rhoads, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

  4. 2026-01-23 S

    The committee(s) on AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 01-28-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.

  5. 2026-01-22 S

    Referred to AEN, WAM.

  6. 2026-01-21 S

    Introduced and passed First Reading.

  7. 2026-01-14 S

    Pending Introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
DAB; Agricultural Markets Study; Report; Agricultural Statistics Service; Positions; Appropriations ($)
Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to conduct a study of agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds for the one-year study of agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers. Appropriates funds to establish positions to collect agricultural data and conduct data analysis for public consumption. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB2154

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2154

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.
�
The
legislature finds that over the past four decades, the value of all
agricultural products in the State has been in decline.
�
Investing in the State's agricultural data
and statistics gathering system is a necessary and critical component to the
revitalization and future of Hawaii's agricultural sector.

����
The legislature further finds that
utilizing modern data and statistics gathering methodologies can promote access
to high-quality data, which can then be used to help empower policymakers and
agricultural stakeholders in making informed decisions and supporting
sustainable farming practices.
�
Improving
the technical, data-gathering component of the department of agriculture and
biosecurity is necessary to provide the State and its farmers with the ability
to track and anticipate patterns of agricultural activity, guide land use
practices, support commodity investment and agricultural resource development,
and inform future infrastructure investments.

����
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to
appropriate funds to the department of agriculture and biosecurity to conduct a
study of agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers and to establish positions to
conduct and collect relevant agricultural data for public consumption.

����
SECTION 2.
�

(a)
�
The department of agriculture
and biosecurity shall conduct a study of agricultural markets for Hawaii
farmers, which shall include strategies and actions that support agriculture
and a robust agricultural sector in the State.

����
(b)
�

The department of agriculture and biosecurity 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.
�

There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii
the sum of $ or so
much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for a one-year study
of agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers.

����
The sum appropriated shall be expended by
the department of agriculture and biosecurity for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 4.
�

There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii
the sum of $ or so
much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the
establishment of:

����
(1)
�
One
full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) data scientist, statistician, or market analyst
position to conduct data analysis; and

����
(2)
�
One
full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) field researcher position to collect relevant
agricultural data for the agricultural statistics service to build an
agricultural data dashboard for public consumption.

����
The sum appropriated shall be expended by
the department of agriculture and biosecurity for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 5.
�

This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DAB;
Agricultural Markets Study; Report; Agricultural Statistics Service; Positions;
Appropriations

Description:

Requires
the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to conduct a study of
agricultural markets for Hawaii farmers.
�

Requires a report to the Legislature.
�

Appropriates funds for the one-year study of agricultural markets for
Hawaii farmers.
�
Appropriates funds to
establish two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) positions to collect agricultural
data and conduct data analysis for public consumption.

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