# Hawaii SB 2153: RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Hawaii SB 2153, RELATING TO AGRICULTURE., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2) Senate bill sponsored by Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-26 (Act 167, 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1269).) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2153-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii SB 2153
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2)
- Title: RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-14
- Last action: 2026-06-26, Act 167, 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1269).
- Sponsor: Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Subjects: DAB, Working Group, Bona Fide Farmer, Bona Fide Agricultural Activity, Definitions, Report, AGR, FIN
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 11 (240 yes, 2 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to convene a Bona Fide Farmer Working Group to develop multi-tiered, matrix-based definitions for the terms "bona fide farmer" and "bona fide agricultural activity". Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- New group will set farm standards: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the law creates a working group to develop tiered definitions of a bona fide farmer and bona fide farm activity. The tiers cover entry-level and transitional, small-scale and diversified, commercial and professional, and corporate and institutional farms. The group must repo…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Carol Fukunaga (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Troy N. Hashimoto (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Michelle N. Kidani (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Angus L.K. McKelvey (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Sharon Y. Moriwaki (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Joy A. San Buenaventura (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Glenn Wakai (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-05-06 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 51 | 0 |   |
| 2026-05-01 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 24 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-28 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-28 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 4 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-09 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 49 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-07 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 15 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-24 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN... | pass | 48 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-20 | House | The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 6 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-10 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 24 | 1 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 12 | 0 |   |
| 2026-01-28 | Senate | The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 4 | 1 |   |

## Actions (48)

- 2026-06-26: Act 167, 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1269). (Senate)
- 2026-06-26: Act 167, on 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1269). (House)
- 2026-05-08: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888). (Senate)
- 2026-05-07: Enrolled to Governor. (Senate)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). (House)
- 2026-05-05: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 814). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Deferred one day 05-06-26. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga). (Senate)
- 2026-04-29: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 32-26). (Senate)
- 2026-04-29: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-01-26. (Senate)
- 2026-04-29: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 32-26) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2026-04-29: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26. (House)
- 2026-04-28: The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Richards, DeCoite; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-04-28: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Chun, Kusch, Kahaloa, Matsumoto; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-04-24: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-28-26 9:30AM; Conference Room 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-23: Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-24-26 11:00AM; Conference Room 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-20: House Conferees Appointed: Chun, Kusch Co-Chairs; Kahaloa, Matsumoto. (House)
- 2026-04-20: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 787). (Senate)
- 2026-04-20: Senate Conferees Appointed: Gabbard Chair; Richards Co-Chair; DeCoite. (Senate)
- 2026-04-20: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 714). (House)
- 2026-04-10: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 502). (Senate)
- 2026-04-10: Senate disagrees with House amendments. (Senate)
- 2026-04-10: Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 564). (House)
- 2026-04-09: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1998-26), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2026-04-09: Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2026-04-07: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Morikawa. (House)
- 2026-04-02: The committee(s) on FIN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 04-07-26. (House)
- 2026-04-02: Bill scheduled for decision making on Tuesday, 04-07-26 10:10AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-31: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 04-02-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-24: Reported from AGR (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1389-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN. (House)
- 2026-03-24: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Garrett, Quinlan excused (2). (House)
- 2026-03-20: The committee on AGR recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Chun, Kusch, Kahaloa, Lowen, Perruso, Matsumoto; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Quinlan. (House)
- 2026-03-17: Bill scheduled to be heard by AGR on Friday, 03-20-26 9:30AM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-12: Pass First Reading (House)
- 2026-03-12: Referred to AGR, FIN, referral sheet 17 (House)
- 2026-03-10: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Awa). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 183) in amended form (SD 2). (House)
- 2026-03-06: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2942) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: 48 Hrs. Notice 03-10-26. (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella. (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 03-03-26 10:17AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Reported from AEN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2187) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in AEN were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Richards, DeCoite, Rhoads; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) Awa; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-01-23: The committee(s) on AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 01-28-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-01-22: Referred to AEN, WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-01-21: Introduced and passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-01-14: Pending Introduction. (Senate)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_CD1_.pdf)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1269_.PDF)
- SB2153_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_CD1_.HTM)
- SB2153_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_HD1_.HTM)
- SB2153_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_SD1_.HTM)
- SB2153_SD2: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_SD2_.HTM)

## Related bills

- SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS. (became law)
- SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES. (signed)
- HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- SB 2031: RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_CD1_.pdf)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1269_.PDF)
- [SB2153_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_CD1_.HTM)
- [SB2153_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_HD1_.HTM)
- [SB2153_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_SD1_.HTM)
- [SB2153_SD2 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2153_SD2_.HTM)

## Related
- [SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB847-2026)
- [SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2338-2026)
- [HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2344-2026)
- [HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2023-2026)
- [HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2021-2026)
- [SB 2031: RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2031-2026)
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- [Hawaii state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2153-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).