In one paragraph
Hawaii's Senate Bill 2908 (2026), as amended in HD 1, would have required the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop, with a selected county, an AI-assisted pre-compliance permitting intake pilot limited to single-family-home projects. The platform would have used AI for intake, routing and review, with human help preserved. It passed the Senate and House second reading, but was not enacted. It stated a July 1, 2050 effective date.
Plain-English summary, written with AI assistance. The official text controls.
What it means for business
None: the bill was not enacted. If enacted, it would have required DBEDT to build an AI-assisted permit intake pilot and would have put no duties on applicants.
Key provisions
- Would have required DBEDT to develop a permitting intake platform, as a pilot with a selected county, limited to projects involving single-family homes
- The platform would have used AI to support intake, routing and review, screened applications for completeness and inconsistencies, enforced required fields, validated parcel and zoning information and routed applications to all relevant county agencies at once
- Would have offered applicants guidance through an applicant-facing chat and FAQ resources, preserved in-person assistance and phone support, and required that automation or AI enhance rather than replace human service
- DBEDT would have had to develop a policy or metric to measure the pilot's success; the fiscal 2026-2027 appropriation was left blank and no funds would have been released unless the selected county provided matching funds
- Passed the Senate March 6, 2026; passed House second reading as amended March 20, 2026 and referred to WAL; no later action; stated effective date July 1, 2050
Latest legislative action
Mar 20, 2026. Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on WAL with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).
Sponsors (showing 5 of 6)
| Name | Role | District |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Wakai D | Sponsor | SD-015 |
| Jarrett Keohokalole D | Sponsor | SD-024 |
| Joy San Buenaventura D | Sponsor | SD-002 |
| Sharon Moriwaki D | Sponsor | SD-012 |
| Stanley Chang D | Sponsor | SD-009 |
Roll call votes
S Senate Ways and Means: Passed, Unamended Mar 3, 2026
12 yea0 nay1 otherPassed
S Senate Economic Development and Technology: Passed, With Amendments Feb 12, 2026
4 yea0 nay1 otherPassed
S Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs: Passed, With Amendments Feb 12, 2026
3 yea0 nay2 otherPassed
Topics and industries
Related topics
Affected industries
This page is general information, not legal advice. Summaries are AI-assisted and may contain errors; read the statute for the controlling text and talk to a lawyer about your situation. Full disclaimer · Report an error