HAPA’s 2026 Legislative Priorities
Food Equity
A staggering one in three households in Hawaii are food insecure. Our food equity policy priorities seek to increase funding to provide food insecure households with nourishing locally sourced food, simultaneously supporting local food producers and growing our local economy.
Priority Bills: Farm to Families, Free School Meals, SNAP Access
Pesticide Protections
HAPA was founded in 2014 to respond to community concerns about pesticide drift from agrochemical test fields. Data from the first three years of mandatory restricted use pesticide (RUP) usage reporting (2019-2021) revealed concerning rates of application of certain highly toxic pesticides. Better protections for our environment and public health are needed.
Priority Bills: Buffer Zones Around Schools, Better Reporting, Pollinator Protections, Banning Telone (1,3-D)
Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Support for the perpetuation of traditional and customary practices - kalo farming, loko iʻa restoration, protection of near shore fisheries, community-based resource stewardship.
Priority Bills: TBD
Support for Food Producers & Regenerative Farming Practices
Support for a range of bills that support, incentivize and catalyze increased local food production that is healthy for people and our local ecosystems.
Priority Bills: Healthy soils, Incentives for farmers/Food Producers
Farm to School/State
From school meals to other public agencies, leveraging public dollars to source from our local food producers is a powerful tool for growing our local economy, supporting local farmers/food producers and providing nourishing meals for students, etc.
Priority Bills: TBD
Protect Election Integrity & Expand Voter Access
Safeguard secure, fair elections while making participation easier and more accessible. This includes improving voter services, modernizing election systems, extending key timelines, and ensuring independent, accountable oversight of elections.
Priority Bills: Expanding Voter Service Centers, Increasing Ballot Curing Time, AVR
Expand Publicly Funded Elections
Strengthen Hawaiʻi’s public financing system so everyday voters, not wealthy donors, drive elections. Priorities include increasing matching funds, raising caps, and advancing tools like Democracy Dollars to amplify small donations and broaden candidate participation.
Priority Bills: Comprehensive Public Funding, Partial Public Funding Increased Amounts and Spending Limits, Hawaiʻi Election Fund Opt Out and Increase
Close Campaign Finance Loopholes
Update and strengthen campaign finance laws to close gaps that allow abuse, improve enforcement, and ensure transparency and accountability in political spending.
Priority Bills: Candidate to Candidate Contributions, Pay-to-Play Loophole, Increase Funding for Campaign Spending Commission
Curb the Influence of Big Money in Elections
Reduce the outsized role of independent expenditures and outside money by strengthening disclosure requirements and preventing corporations and special interests from hiding political influence behind legal loopholes.
Priority Bills: Money Is Not Free Speech
Strengthen Civics Education
Invest in long-term democratic health by ensuring students and communities understand how government works, how to participate, and why civic engagement matters.
Priority Bills: Civic Education Grant Program
