HB 859 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Summary

Establishes an agricultural crime prevention program within the Department of Agriculture to provide grants, education, administrative enforcement, and other services for the benefit of the State's agricultural industry. Clarifies, creates, and strengthens laws regarding crimes and violations related to agriculture or agricultural lands and hunting on private agricultural lands. Establishes clear distinctions between administrative and criminal penalties. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB859 → HB859_HD1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated to include House Draft 1 (HD1) changes, which significantly reorganized the legislative text. The most substantive policy change is the addition of a new purpose to address unauthorized hunting on private agricultural lands, alongside the existing focus on general agricultural crimes. Several statutory sections were renumbered, and the effective date was changed from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 3000, likely to allow for future legislative adjustments.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include unauthorized hunting on private agricultural lands as a specific concern, in addition to general agricultural crimes and livestock endangerment.

SCOPE

Added a new legislative purpose to specifically address unauthorized hunting on private agricultural lands and the risks it poses to livestock and landowner rights.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the Act from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 3000, likely to allow for future amendments or delays in implementation.

TECHNICAL

Renumbered multiple sections throughout the bill (e.g., Section 4 became Section 5, Section 10 became Section 12) and adjusted section references to match the new numbering.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'agricultural land' in Section 708-A to clarify that it includes land used for farm buildings, dwellings, and associated infrastructure.

ENFORCEMENT

Updated various penalty thresholds and fine amounts across multiple sections, often changing 'not more than' to 'no more than' for consistency.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

Reported from AGR (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 156) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Jan 31, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Kahaloa, Kusch, Lowen, Perruso, Quinlan; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward.

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

Referred to AGR, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 3

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

14 primary · 0 co-sponsors