# Hawaii SB 2259: RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM.

Hawaii SB 2259, RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2) Senate bill sponsored by Lynn DeCoite (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-07-14 (Act 251, 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353).) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2259-2026
- 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 2259
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2)
- Title: RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-15
- Last action: 2026-07-14, Act 251, 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353).
- Sponsor: Lynn DeCoite (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Subjects: DBEDT, Hawaii Dementia Initiative Business Recognition Program, Establishment, Appropriation, ECD, FIN
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 10 (216 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Establishes the Hawaii Dementia Initiative Business Recognition Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Lynn DeCoite (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Stanley Chang (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Mike Gabbard (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Michelle N. Kidani (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Angus L.K. McKelvey (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Karl Rhoads (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: SAN BUENAVENTURA
- 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 | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 2 | 0 |   |
| 2026-05-01 | 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 | 16 | 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 ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 6 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-24 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 24 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-19 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The... | pass | 11 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-03 | Senate | The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |

## Actions (53)

- 2026-07-14: Act 251, 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353). (Senate)
- 2026-07-14: Act 251, on 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353). (House)
- 2026-05-08: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888). (Senate)
- 2026-05-08: 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)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-05-06: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 11:30AM in Conference Room 411. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 4:31PM in Conference Room 411. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 5:37 PM; Conference Room 329. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 5:40 PM; Conference Room 309. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) DeCoite, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 237-26). (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 237-26) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26. (House)
- 2026-04-30: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 8:01AM in conference room 411. (House)
- 2026-04-28: Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-30-26 8:30AM in conference room 411. (House)
- 2026-04-22: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 720). (House)
- 2026-04-21: Senate Conferees Appointed: DeCoite Chair; Wakai Co-Chair; Fevella. (Senate)
- 2026-04-20: House Conferees Appointed: Ilagan, Hussey Co-Chairs; Tam, Gedeon. (House)
- 2026-04-20: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 787). (Senate)
- 2026-04-10: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 503). (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. 2003-26), 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: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (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 ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1328-26) 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 ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-03-16: Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 03-20-26 9:30AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-12: This measure has been deleted from the meeting scheduled on Friday 03-13-26 10:00AM in conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-10: Referred to ECD, FIN, referral sheet 15 (House)
- 2026-03-10: Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 03-13-26 10:00AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-02-25: Pass First Reading (House)
- 2026-02-24: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Gabbard). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 10) in amended form (SD 1). (House)
- 2026-02-23: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2697) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: One Day Notice 02-24-26. (Senate)
- 2026-02-19: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 11 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kim, Lee, C., Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Richards. (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-19-26 10:30AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-11: Reported from EDT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2190) 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)
- 2026-02-03: The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDT were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) DeCoite, Wakai, Fukunaga, Kim, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-01-30: The committee(s) on EDT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-03-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-01-26: Referred to EDT, WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-01-21: Introduced and passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-01-15: Pending Introduction. (Senate)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_CD1_.pdf)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1353_.PDF)
- SB2259_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_CD1_.HTM)
- SB2259_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_HD1_.HTM)
- SB2259_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_SD1_.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/SB2259_CD1_.pdf)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1353_.PDF)
- [SB2259_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_CD1_.HTM)
- [SB2259_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_HD1_.HTM)
- [SB2259_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB2259_SD1_.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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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2259-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).