Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO PRETRIAL REFORM.

Requires release on recognizance for defendants charged with violations, traffic offenses, nonviolent petty misdemeanors, nonviolent misdemeanors, and nonviolent class C felonies, subject to conditions. Establishes exclusions for specified offenses, threats to public safety, and wilful flight. Requires findings when bail or detention is imposed, ongoing review of continued detention or conditions, and a prompt hearing if bail cannot be posted. Requires prosecutors to notify victims of pretrial decisions.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO CANNABINOIDS.

Allows any hemp processor with a permit from the Department of Health to sell certain manufactured hemp products that contain a tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than five milligrams per serving. Prohibits the sale of certain manufactured hemp products to any person less than twenty-one years of age. Includes processed floral materials as "manufactured hemp products". Increases the maximum tetrahydrocannabinol concentration for tinctures to five milligrams per serving.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE.

Restricts civil asset forfeiture to cases involving the commission of a felony offense where the property owner has been convicted of an underlying felony offense. Directs forfeiture proceeds to the general fund. Amends the allowable expenses for moneys in the criminal forfeiture fund. Requires the Attorney General to adopt rules necessary to carry out the purpose of the Hawaii Omnibus Criminal Forfeiture Act. Amends the deadline for the Attorney General to report to the Legislature on the use of the Hawaii Omnibus Criminal Forfeiture Act. Limits the transfer of certain forfeiture property to federal agencies. Establishes records requirements.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO CULTURE.

Establishes Immigrants Day as a state holiday that is held annually on October 28. Changes Statehood Day from a state holiday to a day of recognition.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES.

Establishes a regulatory framework for continuing care retirement communities and continuing care at home programs. Establishes the Continuing Care Advisory Committee.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO THE PSYCHOLOGY INTERJURISDICTIONAL COMPACT.

Adopts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact to regulate the practice of telepsychology and temporary in-person, face-to-face practice of psychology by psychologists across state boundaries in the performance of their psychological practice. Requires the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to adopt rules to implement and administer the Compact.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Exempts the sale of groceries and nonprescription drugs from the general excise tax. Removes the state income tax on unemployment compensation benefits. Doubles the standard deduction for individuals earning less than $100,000 and joint returns earning less than $200,000. Repeals the incremental increases on standard income tax deduction amounts. Increases the minimum income threshold and exemption amount for the low-income household renters' income tax credit. Removes the tax liability for the first $100,000 of individual income earned.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO LABOR DAY.

Establishes a Labor Day tax credit for employers of construction workers. Requires any employer of a construction worker to pay the construction worker at a rate that is twice the worker's regular rate of pay for any work performed on Labor Day.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO DRUGS FOR WEIGHT LOSS.

Requires the Department of Human Services to provide Medicaid and Medicare part D prescription drug program recipients with coverage of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for weight loss. Appropriates funds.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Requires home schooled students to participate in certain annual in person tests at the public school that the student would otherwise be required to attend.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO MINORS.

Expands the statewide curfew to apply to minors under 18 years of age, instead of under 16. Amends the exceptions to, and penalties for, violations of the statewide curfew. Restricts a county's authority to enact curfew ordinances to only those ordinances that are more stringent than the statewide curfew.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO FIREWORKS.

Requires individuals to obtain a license to transport fireworks. Prohibits the transportation or production of fireworks without a valid license. Establishes a minimum fine of $10,000 for the importation, storage, transport, distribution, or production of fireworks without a valid license. Clarifies that certain assets are subject to forfeiture for violations of section 132D‑14(a)(1), HRS. Requires any person who reports information leading directly to a forfeiture for violations of section 132D‑14(a)(1), HRS, to receive fifty per cent of the total value of the assets subject to forfeiture.

Carol FukunagaDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES.

Requires certain notice and information to be provided to debtors in consumer debt collection claims to help protect consumers and increase fairness.

Carol FukunagaDemocrat

RELATING TO EARLY LEARNING.

Appropriates moneys to the State Public Charter School Commission for prekindergarten-only public charter schools.

Carol FukunagaDemocrat

RELATING TO DIGITAL ASSETS.

Authorizes digital asset banking in the State. Requires the Commissioner of Financial Institutions to adopt and enforce regulations for digital asset banking. Effective 9/1/2026.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.

Requires certain employers to provide unpaid and paid leave of absence for victims of workplace violence or threat of workplace violence. Expands the type of certification an employee may provide to an employer if the leave exceeds five days per calendar year.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.

Requires operators of digital asset kiosks to have requisite licenses or registrations; make annual reports to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; limit transaction amounts for new consumers; provide disclosures, receipts, and customer service contact information to all consumers; and cooperate with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and applicable law enforcement agencies in the investigation of fraudulent transactions. Authorizes the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to investigate and take enforcement actions against operators. Extends joint liability to businesses or establishments wherein digital asset kiosks are located that are determined to have processed a fraudulent transaction or a transaction for which an operator is found to be liable.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO GENETIC INFORMATION.

Requires the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to adopt rules establishing privacy requirements for direct-to-consumer genetic testing in the State. Requires the Department's rules to specify whether consumers' genetic information may be used for purposes of investigative genetic genealogy.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO CONDOMINIUMS.

Requires condominium association directors and officers to complete certain educational requirements within ninety days of election or appointment. Establishes a regulatory framework for the licensure of condominium association managers.

Sharon Y. MoriwakiDemocrat

RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

Establishes the Hawaii Micro-Lending Credit Enhancement Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to expand micro-lending capacity by providing state‑funded loan loss reserves or other credit enhancement that absorbs first losses on qualified micro-loans made by participating lenders to Hawaii small businesses. Allows borrower fees and state matching contributions to capitalize lender-held loan loss reserve accounts. Establishes the Hawaii Micro-Lending Credit Enhancement Special Fund. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO LACTATION CONSULTANTS.

Establishes the Board of Lactation Consultants of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and requires that lactation consultants be licensed by the board.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to conduct a proceeding to study and implement the Smart Imports Program. Establishes the Smart Imports Program and requires electric utilities to offer excess electricity to consumers during daylight hours at cost for any legal purpose beginning January 1, 2028. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules and establish penalties.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

Makes an emergency appropriation for fiscal year 2025–2026 to the University of Hawaii to expand and sustain the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study and Maui Health Registry.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

Short form bill relating to the University of Hawaii.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROMISE PROGRAM.

Amends the Hawaii Community College Promise Program (Hawaii promise) to exclude grants, scholarships, and other funding sources from the calculation of Hawaii promise awards, allowing students to apply such funds toward indirect costs, including housing, food, and other living expenses, to reduce financial barriers and support student success. Addresses the change in federal law regarding Pell Grants. Changes Hawaii promise from being a last-dollar award.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII REVENUE BONDS.

Authorizes the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of financing qualifying priority capital improvement projects.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE IN HOUSING SUBDIVISIONS.

Requires lot owners in subdivisions that are not planned communities to pay for the repair and maintenance of subdivision roads. Authorizes counties to assess and collect fees for repair and maintenance of subdivision roads if no courtappointed or deeddesignated entity is authorized to do so. Requires counties to provide certain services to associations. Restricts provisions to counties having a population greater than 200,000 but less than 500,000. Extends the reporting date and sunset date for the working group established pursuant to Act 200, SLH 2022. Appropriates moneys.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

Establishes priority consideration for full-time employment in state departments or agencies for certain participants in state-funded internship and workforce development programs by granting them eligibility for internal recruitment.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO CONFORMITY TO THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE.

Conforms Hawaii income and estate and generation-skipping transfer tax laws to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended as of December 31, 2025.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO FERAL PIGS.

Creates an expedited permitting process to authorize the destruction or control of feral pigs on privately owned land, if the feral pigs have caused or are likely to cause substantial damage to agricultural or aquacultural crops, indigenous plants or wildlife, or pose a threat to human health and safety.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE USE OF PUBLIC LANDS.

Defines public uses of public lands as uses by an agency either directly or through disposition, that support the agency's functions including but not limited to the uses described in section 171-10, HRS.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT.

Updates chapter 329, HRS, to make it consistent with amendments in the Federal Controlled Substances Act as required under section 329-11, HRS.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO TAX HAVEN ABUSE.

Requires corporations to include the income of all foreign subsidiaries to the State. Applies the State's apportionment formula to determine the share of reported profits subject to the appropriate tax. Effective 1/1/2026.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO STATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.

Authorizes the Department of Health to establish a vacation payout pilot project in which eligible Department of Health employees may defer unused vacation leave credits in favor of a pay out to provide home purchase down payment assistance. Report required. Sunsets June 30, 2029.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO HEALTH CARE.

Short form bill relating to health care.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.

Provides an emergency appropriation to the Department of Human Services to replace general fund appropriations redirected to provide emergency food assistance during the 2025 federal government shutdown.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT, 1920.

Amends sections 208 and 209(a) of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, to include nieces and nephews who are at least one-quarter Native Hawaiian as qualifying relatives of lessees for the purposes of lease transfer and lease successorship.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS.

Allows the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to assume historic preservation review of the effect of any proposed project for lands under its jurisdiction except for projects affecting properties listed or nominated for inclusion in the Hawaii register of historic places or the national register of historic places.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO SCHOOL LICENSURE.

Transfers the licensing authority of private trade, vocational, and technical schools from the Department of Education to the University of Hawaii.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Short form bill relating to education.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Authorizes the Department of Education to award a high school diploma to qualified persons who did not receive a high school diploma as a result of compulsory or voluntary induction into the armed services of the United States or whose high school education was interrupted due to wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROCUREMENT.

Adjusts the applicability of Act 134, SLH 2025, to clarify the threshold for Department of Education procurement of local edible produce and packaged food products. Sunsets 6/30/2028.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL LAND TRANSFER.

Amends section 2 of Act 307, SLH 2022, to revise tax map key numbers and the conveyance process by which identified properties are to be conveyed to the Department of Education pursuant to Act 307.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING.

Raises the ceiling for the prevailing wages exemption on public works construction projects from $2,000 to $5,000 for governmental contracting agencies. Creates exemption to contractors licensing laws for public works construction projects valued up to $5,000 for governmental contracting agencies.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.

Reduces the minimum revenue requirement that the Department of Education must recover through school meal charges in department schools.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY.

Authorizes the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to convert temporary special project positions created for Federal Emergency Management Agency funded disaster recovery operations into permanent positions exempt from civil service, subject to certain limitations.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HARM TO STUDENTS REGISTRY.

Clarifies the scope of the Department of Education's harm-to-students registry by providing that contractors and volunteers are included only if their roles involves close contact with students, and by excluding K-12 students.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat