HB 966 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL TOURISM.

Summary

Establishes statewide, uniform standards to promote agricultural tourism activities in the State for all counties that have adopted an agricultural tourism ordinance. Requires agricultural tourism activities to be registered by the county planning department. Requires agricultural tourism activities to coexist with an agricultural activity on a farming operation and requires termination of the agricultural tourism activities upon cessation of the agricultural activity, except under certain circumstances. Makes conforming amendments. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB966_HD1 → HB966_HD2 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Hawaii's agricultural tourism regulations to clarify that such activities must coexist with active farming, with exceptions for temporary interruptions like weather or market disruptions. It strengthens registration requirements by mandating proof of active farm use and tax compliance before tourism activities begin. The bill also removes the specific 21-day limit on overnight accommodations and redefines agricultural districts to explicitly include plantation community subdivisions.

Scope change

The bill expands the definition of agricultural districts to include plantation community subdivisions and clarifies that agricultural tourism can continue during temporary farming interruptions.

REQUIREMENT

Registration for agricultural tourism now requires verification that the farm is actively producing crops and paying taxes, rather than just being registered.

New registration requirements include federal and state tax returns and proof of enrollment in county agricultural programs.

ELIGIBILITY

The automatic termination of tourism activities when farming stops is now paused if the farming stoppage is temporary due to weather, disease, pests, or market issues.

DEFINITION

The specific 21-day limit on overnight guest stays was removed, allowing for longer durations.

Agricultural districts now explicitly include plantation community subdivisions, ensuring these areas are recognized for agricultural purposes.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Re-Referred to AEN/WLA/EDT/EIG, WAM.

upper

Mar 13, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on AEN/WTL/EDT/EIG has scheduled a public hearing on 03-19-25 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to AEN/WTL/EDT/EIG, WAM.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 309).

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Marten voting no (1) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran.

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 716), recommending referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Lamosao, Belatti, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Morikawa, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Poepoe, Woodson.

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Committee

Reported from AGR/TOU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 234) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to WAL.

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on TOU recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Tam, Templo, Holt, Ilagan, Todd; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hussey, Matsumoto.

lower

Feb 5, 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/TOU, WAL, JHA, referral sheet 3

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

23 primary · 0 co-sponsors