US EditionNew State Laws in 2026 Target Climate Change, Drunken Driving
New laws include a $2 minimum wage increase to $16 and a tourist tax expected to raise $100 million annually for climate resilience; cruise ship tax enforcement is blocked.
- On May 27, Gov. Josh Green signed Senate Bill 1396 into law as Act 96, creating a transient accommodations tax for overnight guests including hotels, vacation rentals and cruise ship passengers to fund climate resilience.
- Years of advocacy by Gov. Josh Green, Governor of Hawaii, and the 2023 Maui wildfires, which killed 102 people and caused $13 billion in damage, drove urgent support for the so-called 'green fee'.
- Hawaii's minimum wage rises $2 to $16 from $14 this year, hotel room levy increases to 11%, and cruise passengers face an 11% prorated gross-fare tax.
- A federal appeals court on New Year's Eve blocked Hawaii from enforcing the cruise-passenger tax while appeals proceed, after Cruise Lines International Association sued and plaintiffs appealed a lower-court ruling.
- Officials estimate the increase will raise nearly $100 million annually, and Act 96 requires the state to begin distributing funds in July across three funding buckets: natural-resource protection, resilience and visitor management.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Associated Press News
Federal ruling blocks Hawaii's climate change tourist tax on cruise ships
A federal appeals court is blocking Hawaii from enforcing a climate change tourist tax on cruise ship passengers. The tax was set to begin in 2026.
New state laws in 2026 target climate change, drunken driving
A slate of new laws will go into effect in states across the country beginning Jan. 1. From Hawaii imposing a tax on tourists to address conservation, to California raising its minimum wage by $0.40 an hour, 2026 will bring a host of policy changes. Here is what to know about four state laws that…
Minimum wage hike, ‘Green fee’ tax among Hawaii’s new 2026 laws | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii’s minimum wage goes up $2 an hour Thursday — to $16 from $14 — amid other new state laws in 2026 that include America’s first statewide tax increase aimed primarily at tourists to help adapt to climate change and reduce the risk of future wildfires.
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