Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO SERVICE CHARGES.

Prohibits restaurants from imposing a mandatory gratuity service charge for the sale of food or beverage services unless the party includes ten or more customers, the service charge does not exceed eighteen per cent, and the customer is notified of the service charge.

Donna Mercado KimDemocrat

RELATING TO PROCUREMENT.

Beginning 1/1/2026, requires contracts for services awarded to community-based organizations by the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, or Judiciary in support of fulfilling their statutory mandates to individuals, families, and communities in the State to include certain protections against inflation. Appropriates funds to the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Judiciary to increase the contract price in existing contracts for certain services provided by community-based organizations in support of fulfilling their statutory mandates to individuals, families, and communities in the State.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO DISABLED VETERANS.

Exempts qualifying disabled veterans from county vehicle registration fees, highway beautification fees, and vehicle weight taxes.

Kanani SouzaRepublican

RELATING TO THE WORKS OF ART SPECIAL FUND.

Specifies that the works of art special fund's one per cent transfer requirement shall apply only to capital improvement appropriations for the original construction of state buildings. Amends the authority for funds from the works of art special fund to be used only for costs related to the acquisition of works of art. Appropriates funds.

Donovan M. Dela CruzDemocrat

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Requires the Civil Rights Commission to receive and investigate complaints related to acts of discrimination committed by transportation network company drivers against riders with service animals and report the results of its investigation to the Department of Transportation, which shall issue penalties to transportation network companies.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO VEHICLE MILEAGE.

Requires employers to reimburse employees for vehicle mileage expenses incurred when using their personal vehicle to carry out employee duties or at the direction of the employer.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO THE CENTER FOR CLIMATE RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT.

Appropriates funds for the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology within the University of Hawaii to establish and operate a Center for Climate Resilient Development.

Ikaika HusseyDemocrat

RELATING TO PUBLIC MEETINGS.

Prohibits boards from beginning or continuing meetings after 9:00 p.m., excluding county council meetings.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO GEOTHERMAL ENERGY EXPLORATION.

Appropriates funds to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for the exploration and identification of geothermal resources on Hawaii island.

Nicole E. LowenDemocrat

RELATING TO CHILDREN.

Ensures the protection and promotion of the health and well-being of all infants born alive in the State. Mandates medically appropriate and reasonable life-saving and life-sustaining medical care and treatment to all born alive infants. Establishes civil and criminal penalties.

Diamond GarciaRepublican

RELATING TO THE CHILD PROTECTIVE ACT.

Provides that investigative powers of the Department of Human Services under the Child Protective Act include interviews of adults living in the family home and the alleged perpetrator in the; Requires DHS to record and save adult interviews conducted as part of an investigation of a report of harm, threatened harm, or imminent harm to a child and to include recorded adult interviews in any filed petition for removal.

Diamond GarciaRepublican

RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.

Appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to fund and administer core homelessness services.

Ikaika OldsDemocrat

RELATING TO BIRTH CERTIFICATES.

Expands the types of health care providers who can submit an affidavit for a new certificate of birth for certain birth registrants.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Establishes a refundable income tax credit to offset the increase in real property insurance premiums for certain properties.

WARD

RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS.

Allows primary caregivers to be responsible for the care of more than one qualifying patient for medical cannabis at any given time. Repeals 6/30/2030.

Sean QuinlanDemocrat

RELATING TO STATUTORY REVISION: AMENDING OR REPEALING VARIOUS PROVISIONS OF THE HAWAII REVISED STATUTES OR THE SESSION LAWS OF HAWAII FOR THE PURPOSES OF CORRECTING ERRORS AND REFERENCES, CLARIFYING LANGUAGE, OR DELETING OBSOLETE OR UNNECESSARY PROVISIONS.

Amends or repeals various provisions of the Hawaii Revised Statutes or the Session Laws of Hawaii for the purposes of correcting errors and references, clarifying language, or deleting obsolete or unnecessary provisions.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO SAFE SPACES FOR YOUTH PROGRAM.

Makes the Safe Spaces for Youth Pilot Program permanent within the Office of Youth Services. Requires the program to collaborate with all state and county departments that offer services for youth and young adults to coordinate the identification of youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness and placement of these youth at a shelter for homeless youth or young adults. Authorizes the Office of Youth Services to contract with nonprofit organizations to provide shelters for homeless youth or young adults. Requires the Office of Youth Services to submit a report twenty days prior to the regular session of the Legislature.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO REGISTRATION TO SELL MANUFACTURED HEMP PRODUCTS.

Requires manufactured hemp product distributors and manufactured hemp product retailers to register with the Department of Health to sell manufactured hemp products; requires the Department of Health to collect application fees and issue certificates of registration.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Appropriates funds to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to purchase a parcel of land identified as tax map key: (1) 9-1-013-025.

Daniel HoltDemocrat

RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE INSURANCE.

Makes mandatory the suspension of the driver's license of a driver or registered owner of a vehicle for operating a motor vehicle without a motor vehicle insurance policy.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO FEES FOR PUBLIC RECORDS UNDER CHAPTER 92F.

Imposes a cap on charges for searching for, reviewing, and segregating government records under the Uniform Information Practices Act. Provides for a waiver of fees in certain circumstances when the public interest is served by a government record's disclosure.

David A. TarnasDemocrat

RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Establishes the Land Dedication for Agricultural Education program within the Department of Education. Requires the Department of Education to consult with the Department of Taxation to establish tax incentives for land developers who dedicate land for educational purposes. Requires the Department of Education to consult with the Department of the Attorney General to establish penalties. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.

Establishes the Malama Aina Visitor Impact Tax Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to allocate funds to state agencies to improve the quality of visitor experience to sustain the economic benefits contributed by the visitor industry and protect, restore, and manage the State's natural and cultural resources. Establishes the Malama Aina Visitor Impact Tax Special Fund to fund the program. Increases the transient accommodations tax by one per cent from 1/1/2026 to 12/31/2030 and requires the additional tax revenues to be deposited into the Special Fund. Requires the Department to submit annual reports to the Legislature. Repeals 12/31/2030.

Sharon Y. MoriwakiDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a climate education, environmental sustainability, and indigenous knowledge into the K-12 curriculum and climate education and environmental sustainability teacher training and professional development programs. Requires the University of Hawaii to develop and implement a series of courses on climate education and environmental sustainability, to be completed by every student prior to the student's graduation, and establish sustainability practices across all university campuses to promote sustainability. Requires the Department of Education and University of Hawaii to conduct annual sustainability audits across their respective campuses to assess the progress of each campus in integrating sustainability into their curriculum and operations.

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREARMS.

Prohibits the possession, transfer, and sale of ghost guns. Establishes mandatory minimum sentencing for use of a ghost gun in the commission of a felony.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE RIGHT TO FARM.

Amends the definition of "farming operation" by including customary and traditional subsistence farming conducted by native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and excluding concentrated animal feeding operations and business entities with unclear or non-transparent ownership or beneficiary structures. Establishes additional criteria for farming operations to meet in order to be protected against nuisance claims. Clarifies the purpose and intent of the Hawaii Right to Farm Act.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.

Appropriates funds in addition to the base budget of the Department of Human Services' Homeless Programs Office to address the need for homeless services in the State.

Ikaika OldsDemocrat

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Establishes a tax credit for individual and corporate taxpayers who install and place in service certain projects that support environmental sustainability.

Ikaika HusseyDemocrat

RELATING TO THE CONVEYANCE TAX.

Establishes the Homeless Services Special Fund. Allows counties to apply for matching funds from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund for certain housing projects. Increases the conveyance tax rates for certain properties. Repeals the separate conveyance tax rates for the sale of a condominium or single family residence for which the purchaser is ineligible for a county homeowner's exemption on property tax and establishes conveyance tax rates for multifamily residential properties. Establishes new exemptions to the conveyance tax. Allocates collected conveyance taxes to the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund, Homeless Services Special Fund and general fund. Amends allocations to the Land Conservation Fund and Rental Housing Revolving Fund.

Sharon Y. MoriwakiDemocrat

RELATING TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.

Requires each public school to develop a disaster and attack preparedness plan by 1/1/2026 that includes shelter-in-place drills. Requires each school to maintain emergency goods sufficient for at least 48 hours in its facilities.

WARD

RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE THIRTY-SEVENTH REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT.

Appropriates funds for capital improvement projects in the thirty-seventh representative district.

LA CHICA

RELATING TO A STATE LOTTERY.

Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of a state lottery.

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES.

Repeals state restrictions on the installation and use of sun screening devices, including window tinting, on motor vehicles.

Brenton AwaRepublican

RELATING TO MIDWIVES.

Establishes a licensing scheme for licensed certified midwives and licensed certified professional midwives, to be overseen by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Reestablishes the home birth task force to provide recommendations on issues related to home births. Dissolves the task force on 6/30/2026. Requires reports to the Legislature.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IMMERSION EDUCATION.

Requires the Department of Education to implement a plan for a Hawaiian language immersion school in Kapolei that shall be ready to educate students in grades kindergarten through 12 by the 2028-2029 school year. Appropriates moneys.

Diamond GarciaRepublican

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Allows authorized employees of the Department of Transportation and Department of Law Enforcement to inspect and provide a certificate of certain evidence of speed limit violations obtained by automated speed enforcement systems. Appropriates funds to the Department of Transportation to establish and implement the automated speed enforcement systems program.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO IMPACT FEES.

Authorizes condominium associations and planned community associations located in a zoning district that allows for transient vacation rentals to impose an impact fee on owners who use their units as transient vacation rentals.

Sharon Y. MoriwakiDemocrat

RELATING TO COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS.

Requires all health care providers who accept Medicare to provide a cognitive assessment as part of the Medicare Part B annual wellness visit for Medicare beneficiaries sixty-five years of age or older, with certain exceptions. Requires health care providers to submit certain information to the Executive Office on Aging and the Executive Office on Aging to report de-identified aggregated data to the Legislature on an annual basis. Appropriates funds. Effective 1/1/2026.

Donna Mercado KimDemocrat

RELATING TO LAND RESTORATION.

Creates the Aloha Aina Land Trust to rehabilitate and manage lands transferred by the United States military to the State after the leases for those lands expires. Appropriates funds.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.

Prohibits the denial of a school meal to a student based on the student's ability to pay. Requires the Department of Education and department schools to certify that all students eligible for certain programs receive free or reduced-price meals. Prohibits a department school from publicly identifying or stigmatizing a student. Requires the school to directly inform a parent or guardian regarding a student's unpaid meal fund account balance.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL.

Appropriates funds to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to support its initiatives to control and eradicate invasive species in the State.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Increases the percentages of local agricultural products that certain departments are required to purchase by certain deadlines. Expands annual reporting requirements to include the total spending by certain market channels. Requires certain departments and the University of Hawaii System to include a corrective action plan in their respective reports to the Legislature, should they not meet their benchmarks. Repeals the separate benchmark for the Department of Education that requires thirty per cent of food served in public schools to consist of locally sourced products by 2030. Appropriates funds for the establishment of a farm-to-state liaison position within the Office of the Governor.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Designates student transportation as critical infrastructure and a critical service for Hawaii's public education system. Requires all school bus contracts between the State and the contractor to include certain standards, performance metrics, and accountability requirements to prevent service disruptions.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO FEDERAL LAND.

Establishes an Advisory Committee convened by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Health to inventory lands owned by the United States government which may be reasonably transferred back to the State and to make recommendations on relevant land conditions and appropriateness of potential transfer. Requires reports to the Legislature.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL SUPPORT.

Establishes within the Department of Agriculture the Hawaii Agricultural Transportation Assistance Program, to consist of a reimbursement program and grant program, to assist certain farmers and livestock producers with transportation costs for agricultural products, inputs, supplies, and production and distribution of agricultural commodities. Requires reports to the Legislature.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO MĀMAKI TEA.

Imposes labeling requirements for māmaki tea grown in the State.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO INTEGRATED LAND USE.

Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to conduct an integrated land use study for the use of lands within the agricultural districts and submit interim and final reports to the Legislature.

Mike GabbardDemocrat