{"id":221112,"date":"2025-08-28T16:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T02:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=221112"},"modified":"2025-08-28T16:01:00","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T02:01:00","slug":"bills-that-stirred-hawaii-politics-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/28\/bills-that-stirred-hawaii-politics-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Legalizing cannabis, sports betting, other bills that stirred Hawai\u02bbi politics in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"state<\/p>\n

Which bills in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s 2025 legislative session drew broad support, and which sparked fierce battles that split longtime allies? According to a new University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Economic Research Organization (UHERO<\/abbr>) blog post<\/a> authored by Trey Gordner and Colin Moore, analysis of lobbying data reveals patterns of agreement, conflict and coalition-building among the state\u2019s politically active organizations.<\/p>\n

Where the conflict is clear<\/h2>\n

HB1308<\/a>, which would have legalized and regulated sports betting in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, had seven organizations supporting it, including labor unions and gaming associations. Another seven opposed it, led by religious groups and family advocates. It was one of the most polarizing bills of the year and failed in the session\u2019s final days.<\/p>\n

Lobbying conflicts are often framed as battles between major sectors, such as those between healthcare organizations and vice industries. But some of the most revealing moments in state politics happen when an issue divides some organizations within a sector against others. These intra-sectoral splits can expose hidden tensions within a powerful coalition over policy direction, regulatory risk, or political strategy.<\/p>\n

The debate over marijuana was one such case. HB1246<\/a> and SB1613<\/a>, companion bills to legalize cannabis and create a new regulatory structure, exposed splits within the health, nonprofit and trade association sectors. Perhaps not surprisingly, private business organizations with a direct stake in legalization such as the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Cannabis Industry Association supported legalization based on its potential to create a strong regulatory model and generate increased tax revenue. But more traditional business organizations, such as the Retail Merchants of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, voiced concerns about its effects on tourism and public health.<\/p>\n

Another sharply divided measure was SB897<\/a>, which allowed electric utilities to recover wildfire mitigation costs through ratepayer surcharges. The bill generated 41 lobbyist positions with some trade associations and labor unions taking opposing positions. Because internal splits among long-standing allies are rare, these divisions offer important insight into how policy debates unfold within established coalitions.<\/p>\n

High support, not high drama<\/h2>\n

Some of the most heavily lobbied bills in the 2025 session were also among the least contested. HB560<\/a>, a bill to appropriate funds for community-based programs administered by the judiciary, attracted 29 lobbying positions with 28 in support and one comment. Similarly, SB1300<\/a>, which expanded access to school meals, was supported by 26 organizations and faced no opposition. (For comparison, the typical lobbied bill has only three positions.)<\/p>\n

This blog uses Legislative\/Administrative Action Report<\/a> data to examine lobbying at the bill level, identifying the issues and proposals that united or divided stakeholders. It followed a June 2025 UHERO<\/abbr> analysis<\/a> of which groups drove the state\u2019s policy debates in the 2025 legislative session.<\/p>\n

See the full blog<\/a> for insights on quietly contested bills, unusual coalition pairings and lobbying trends beyond the headlines.<\/p>\n

UHERO<\/abbr> is housed in UH<\/abbr> Mānoa\u2019s College of Social Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new UHERO<\/abbr> blog analyzes how lobbying shaped Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s 2025 legislative battles over cannabis, sports betting and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":217740,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[301,197,1467,1363,1600,1026,9,343],"class_list":["post-221112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-economics","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-public-impact-research","tag-social-science","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uhero","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t