HB1361 establishes a small business fee waiver program within the Business Registration Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). The program would waive certain filing and registration fees for applicants registering a new small business in Hawaii for the first time, including initial business registration fees for corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and sole proprietorships, as well as trade name, trademark, and service mark registration fees. To qualify, an applicant must be registering a new business entity for the first time, meet the statutory definition of a small business, and submit an affidavit stating they have not previously registered as the owner of a small business in the state.
Impact
The bill would create a new state-administered fee waiver program and require DCCA to implement outreach, provide guidance to new business owners, and report annually to the Legislature on participation, fees waived, and recommendations. It would also appropriate unspecified general funds for fiscal year 2025-2026 to support the program. The measure would not waive annual renewal fees or penalties for late filing or noncompliance, and it would sunset on a date left blank in the bill text, indicating the program is intended to be temporary unless extended by later legislation.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally supportive of small business development and entrepreneurship, with a clear policy goal of lowering startup costs and encouraging new business formation in Hawaii. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or amendment debate in the available record. The overall tone of the measure is pro-business and economic-development oriented.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are fiscal and administrative: the bill requires an appropriation from general revenues, but the amount is left blank, and it places new outreach, guidance, and reporting duties on DCCA. Another possible issue is eligibility and enforcement, since applicants must certify they have not previously registered a small business in the state, which could raise questions about verification and program integrity. The temporary nature of the program is also unresolved because the sunset date is blank, leaving open whether lawmakers intend a pilot program or a permanent policy.
A resolution to direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to only present to the Governor enrolled House bills finally passed by both houses of the One Hundred Third Legislature.
Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.