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Committees advance HTDC bill to help small businesses adopt technology; appropriation moved to committee report
Summary
House Bill 448, to appropriate funds to the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) to assist small businesses with technology enablement, passed joint committees with the appropriation blanked out and $250,000 moved to the committee report for later insertion.
House Bill 448, which would appropriate funds for the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to help small businesses — including tourism-related firms — adopt and implement technology, was advanced by the House committees on Jan. 30, 2025. Committee members adopted the chair’s recommendation that the bill pass as HD1 and moved the appropriation amount into the committee report.
Wayne Inouye, representing HTDC, said the agency supports the bill but urged careful problem definition before selecting technology solutions. “We really need to understand what problem we’re solving and select the appropriate technology,” Inouye said, emphasizing that HTDC’s role is to match technology to business needs rather than simply distributing tools.
The Hawaii Food Industry Association and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii submitted written support, saying HTDC is well positioned to provide e-commerce and back-office solutions to small businesses. The committee voted to blank the appropriation amount in the bill text and to place an initial $250,000 appropriation into the committee report; members adopted the chair’s recommendation without recorded opposition.
The committee will forward HB 448 as HD1 with the appropriation placed in the committee report for inclusion in further deliberations.
