Hawaii lawmakers raise the state's hotel tax to help the islands cope with climate change

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers passed on Friday first-of-its-kind legislation that will increase the state’s lodging tax to raise money for environmental protection and strengthening defenses against climate change -fueled natural disasters.

Gov. Josh Green supports the bill, indicating he will sign it. The bill adds a 0.75% levy to the state’s existing tax on hotel rooms, timeshares, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. It also imposes a new 11% tax on cruise ship bills, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports.

Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. They say the money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of hurricane clips to secure roofs during powerful storms and clearing flammable invasive grasses like those that fed the deadly wildfire that destroyed downtown Lahaina in 2023.

The House and Senate, both controlled by large majorities of Democrats, both passed the measure by wide margins.

Experts say this is the nation's first state lodging tax that raises money for the environment and coping with climate change.

Hawaii already levies a 10.25% tax on short-term rentals. As of Jan. 1, the tax will rise to 11%. Hawaii's counties separately charge a 3% lodging tax, and travelers also have to pay the 4.712% general excise tax that applies to all virtually all goods and services. The cumulative tax bill at checkout will climb to 18.712%, among the highest in the nation.

Green said people have told him the increase is small enough people won’t notice. He observed many people come to Hawaii to enjoy the environment and predicted they will welcome committing dollars to protect shorelines and communities.

“The more you cultivate good environmental policy, and the more you invest in perfecting our lived space, the more likely it is we’re going to have actually lifelong, committed travelers to Hawaii,” he said in an interview.

Only funds raised by the 0.75% addition and the new tax on cruise ship stays will go exclusively toward natural resources and climate change. Revenue from existing state lodging taxes would continue to flow into state's general fund and to help pay for the construction of Honolulu's rail line.

Zane Edleman, a visitor from Chicago, said he could envision the extra cost prompting some travelers to head elsewhere else like Florida. But he said it would depend on how the state shares information about what it does with the money.

“If you really focus on the point — this is to save the climate and actually have proof that this is where the funds are going, and that there’s an actual result that’s happening from that, I think people could buy into it,” Edleman said.

The first draft of the legislation called for a larger increase, but lawmakers pared it back.

“We heard the concerns about how do we make sure that we are able to sustain our industry as well as find new resources to address the needs for environmental sustainability,” said Democratic Rep. Linda Ichiyama, vice speaker of the House. “So it was a balance.”

John Pele, the executive director of the Maui Hotel and Lodging Association, said there’s broad agreement that the money raised will go to a good cause. But he wonders if Hawaii will become too expensive for visitors.

“Will we be taxing on tourists out of wanting to come here?” he said. “That remains to be seen.”

Hawaii senators are seen during the discussion of the bill that will increase the state's lodging tax, Friday, May 2, 2025, at the state Capitol in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Hawaii Sen. Glenn Wakai speaks during the discussion of the bill that will increase the state's lodging tax, Friday, May 2, 2025, at the state Capitol in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Hawaii Sen. Herbert "Tim" Richards III speaks during the discussion of the bill that will increase the state's lodging tax, Friday, May 2, 2025, at the state Capitol in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Hawaii House Vice Speaker Linda Ichiyama speaks to journalists during a press conference at the state Capitol, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

Hawaii Sen. Lorraine, R-Inouye, speaks during the discussion of the bill that will increase the state's lodging tax, Friday, May 2, 2025, at the state Capitol in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin)

FILE - People swim in the lagoon in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort in Honolulu on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of Iran’s judiciary signaled Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The comments from Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Trump repeatedly has warned that the United States may take military action over the killing of peaceful protesters, just months after it bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war launched by Israel against the Islamic Republic in June.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Iran held a mass funeral of some 100 security force members killed in the demonstrations after authorities earlier said it would be 300. Tens of thousands of mourners attended, holding Iranian flags and photos of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The caskets, covered in Iranian flags, stood stacked at least three high. Red and white roses and framed photographs of people who were killed covered them.

People elsewhere remained fearful in the streets. Plainclothes security forces still milled around some neighborhoods, though anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force appeared to have been sent back to their barracks.

“We are very frightened because of these sounds (of gunfire) and protests,” said one mother of two children shopping for fruits and vegetables Wednesday, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “We have heard many are killed and many are injured. Now peace has been restored but schools are closed and I’m scared to send my children to school again.”

Ahmadreza Tavakoli, 36, told The Associated Press he witnessed one demonstration in Tehran and was shocked by the use of firearms by authorities.

“People were out to express themselves and protest, but quickly it turned into a war zone,” Tavakoli said. “The people do not have guns. Only the security forces have guns.”

Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television online.

“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” he said. “If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect. If we want to do something, we have to do that fast.”

His comments stand as a direct challenge to Trump, who warned Iran about executions an interview with CBS aired Tuesday.

“We will take very strong action,” Trump said. “If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”

“We don’t want to see what’s happening in Iran happen. And you know, if they want to have protests, that’s one thing, when they start killing thousands of people, and now you’re telling me about hanging — we’ll see how that works out for them. It’s not going to work out good.”

One Arab Gulf diplomat told the AP that major Mideast governments had been discouraging the Trump administration from launching a war now with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” for the region that could explode into a “full-blown war.” The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to journalists.

Meanwhile, activists said Wednesday that Starlink was offering free service in Iran. The satellite internet service has been key in getting around an internet shutdown launched by the theocracy on Jan. 8. Iran began allowing people to call out internationally on Tuesday via their mobile phones, but calls from people outside the country into Iran remain blocked.

“We can confirm that the free subscription for Starlink terminals is fully functional,” said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has helped get the units into Iran. “We tested it using a newly activated Starlink terminal inside Iran.”

Starlink itself did not immediately acknowledge the decision.

Security service personnel also apparently were searching for Starlink dishes, as people in northern Tehran reported authorities raiding apartment buildings with satellite dishes. While satellite television dishes are illegal, many in the capital have them in homes, and officials broadly had given up on enforcing the law in recent years.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,403 of the dead were protesters and 147 were government-affiliated. Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.

Gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult, and the AP has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.

Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

FILE - This frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)

FILE - In this photo released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a ceremony to mark the Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File)