Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO PERSONNEL.

Updates state position titles by changing "private secretary" to "executive assistant" and "secretary" to "administrative assistant", where applicable. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE STATE FIRE COUNCIL.

Replaces the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations with the Department of Law Enforcement as the department responsible for budgeting administrative staffing for the State Fire Council. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH LAW.

Repeals the requirement that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations regulate hoisting machines and certify their operators and the Hoisting Machine Operators Advisory Board, including its rules requiring a separate state crane operator certificate. Allows additional time for the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations to complete an investigation of a discharge or discrimination complaint pertaining to employees exercising rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Law without formal extension. (HD2)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.

Authorizes the Department of Transportation to assume responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for highway projects, as well as railroad, public transportation, or multimodal projects within the State, allowing streamlined environmental reviews. Provides a limited waiver of sovereign immunity to comply with federal requirements. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO FEDERAL MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

Authorizes the Department of Transportation to enter into agreements with the United States Department of Defense for the provision of services at federal military installations, under certain conditions. Authorizes charging an administrative fee. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO AIR MEDICAL SERVICES.

Establishes the Statewide Air Medical Services Program within Establishes the Statewide Air Medical Services Program within the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention Systems Branch to coordinate and strengthen air medical services. Establishes an air medical director, an air medical program manager, and an air medical coordinator. Specifies that annual licensure and accreditation fees are to be deposited into the Emergency Medical Services Special Fund for costs of the program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO HARBOR SAFETY.

Repeals the sunset provisions of Act 236, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, thereby making permanent the requirement that the Department of Transportation ensure that the securing of mooring lines from vessels to commercial docks, wharves, piers, quays, and landings be performed by labor subject to collective bargaining. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Lorraine R. InouyeDemocrat

RELATING TO BONDS.

Part I: Substitutes the word "tax increment" with "resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity" for purposes of the Resilient Infrastructure for Shelter and Equity Act, except under certain circumstances. Part II: Conforms state law concerning county debt limits to permit counties to exclude resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds from the debt limit of the counties, if a constitutional amendment authorizing the use of resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds and excluding resilient infrastructure for shelter and equity bonds from determinations of the counties' funded debt is ratified. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Troy N. HashimotoDemocrat

RELATING TO HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS.

Amends the membership and responsibilities of the Public Land Trust Working Group established under Act 226, SLH 2022. Requires the Working Group to submit four reports to the Legislature: by 8/1/2026, a first interim report regarding the public land trust inventory; by 12/1/2026, a second interim report regarding Act 178, SLH 2006, financial reporting and accounting; by 6/1/2027, a preliminary draft settlement of the income and proceeds from OHA's pro rata portion of the public land trust; and by 10/1/2027, a final report that includes a final draft settlement. Requires the State, OHA, and other applicable parties to begin preliminary negotiations regarding the final draft settlement by 10/1/2027. Appropriates funds for the Legislative Reference Bureau to retain independent third-party professionals for the Working Group and requires matching funds from OHA. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Dru Mamo KanuhaDemocrat

RELATING TO COMMERCIAL DRIVERS LICENSING.

Amends requirements to commercial driver's license qualification standards to meet current federal regulations to allow the State to issue a non-domiciled commercial learner's permit and non‑domiciled commercial driver's license for applicants who are unable to provide proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residency. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD2)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

Clarifies the process for selecting a certified provider of vocational rehabilitation services. Requires certified providers to automatically approve vocational rehabilitation services for an injured employee if those services will likely be required for suitable gainful employment and the initial evaluation report finds the injured employee feasible to participate. Requires providers to file an employee's vocational rehabilitation plan no later than one hundred twenty days after submitting an initial evaluation report, unless extended by the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations. Clarifies the process for an employer to object to a vocational rehabilitation plan. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)

Scot Z. MatayoshiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

By 2/28/27, requires the Department of Human Services, upon obtaining a federal waiver, to establish a pre-release Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) application process for inmates nearing release. Allows all individuals convicted of an offense involving the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance to apply for SNAP benefits, regardless of treatment status. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

David A. TarnasDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

Exempts certain positions in the Developmental Disabilities Division of the Department of Health and Hawaii State Hospital from civil service. Authorizes the Director of Health to appoint two additional associate administrators and two project managers for the Hawaii State Hospital or a secure psychiatric rehabilitation facility. Effective 1/1/2050. (SD1)

Gregg TakayamaDemocrat

RELATING TO PHARMACY.

Specifies a framework for the administration of audits of records of registered pharmacists and pharmacies. Amends the definition of "pharmacy benefit manager" under chapter 431S, HRS, to exclude certain health maintenance organizations. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD2)

Scot Z. MatayoshiDemocrat

RELATING TO ASSOCIATIONS.

Clarifies that in planned community association and condominium association elections conducted by cumulative voting, cumulative voting rights apply to all candidates, including write-ins, and that individual votes are used when allocating votes. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Linda IchiyamaDemocrat

RELATING TO A GENERAL EXCISE TAX EXEMPTION FOR AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE.

Provides a general excise tax exemption for the sale of material, parts, or tools used for aircraft service and maintenance or for the construction of an aircraft service and maintenance facility. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSES.

Lowers the age of who may drive commercially within the State from nineteen to eighteen. Repeals the requirement that a person only operates category 3 vehicles to qualify to drive commercially in the State. Prohibits a person under twenty-one years of age from operating a commercial motor vehicle outside of a registered apprenticeship program as determined by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations or a structured, on-the-job training program administered by the person's employer that meets certain requirements. Requires the Department of Transportation to amend its rules to lower the minimum age required for a commercial driver's license. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO AGRICULTURE.

Establishes a Local Agriculture Transportation Cost Reimbursement Pilot Program within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to reimburse eligible ranchers and farmers a portion of their costs to transport livestock, livestock products, agricultural commodities, and certain necessary supplies, under certain conditions. Establishes a position to administer the Program. Appropriates moneys. Sunsets 6/30/2029. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee LoyDemocrat

RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

Authorizes the State Historic Preservation Division to conduct a phased review of a proposed project on private property under certain circumstances. Amends the process and deadlines by which SHPD must provide written concurrence or non-concurrence for proposed projects on private property or certain projects that require state or county approval for entitlement for use. Clarifies when an application for a proposed project on an existing privately-owned residential property shall be subject to the requirements of section 6E-42, HRS. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD2)

Tyson K. MiyakeDemocrat

RELATING TO FARM EMPLOYEE HOUSING.

Clarifies the allowable uses within agricultural districts with respect to farm dwellings and farm employee housing. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Luke A. EvslinDemocrat

RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.

Replaces the Adjutant General on the Hawaii Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee with the Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Effective 7/1/2055. (SD1)

Della Au BelattiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT ACT.

Amends the definition of "development," as it pertains to coastal zone management, to exclude any state- or county-funded infrastructure improvement project that is exempted from an environmental assessment or determined as a finding of no significant impact under chapter 343, HRS. Applies only to zones established in Lahaina in the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires that have been designated for reentry by the State or County of Maui as of January 1, 2026, excluding lands owned by or under the control of the State or County of Maui. Effective 7/1/2050. Sunsets 6/30/2029. (SD2)

Mark J. HashemDemocrat

RELATING TO HEALTH CARE.

Expands the protections established under Act 2, SLH 2023, to include gender-affirming health care services, including clarifying permitted disclosures of protected health information to address changes in federal regulations. Establishes protections against abusive litigation. Prohibits medical malpractice insurers and health carriers from taking certain adverse actions against health care providers solely on the basis that the health care provider provides lawful reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services. (SD2)

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO REGISTRATION OF TIME SHARES.

Establishes that applications for registration renewals for time share developers, acquisition agents, plan managers, and exchange agents required by section 514E-10, HRS, shall be deemed approved thirty days after receipt of all required documents, unless the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs issues a deficiency letter within that period. Establishes that any amendment to a required time share plan registration shall be deemed approved by operation of law on the sixtieth day after the amendment is submitted to the Director, unless the Director issues a deficiency letter within that period. Effective 9/1/2026. (SD2)

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO THE UNIFORM PROBATE CODE.

Provides for the temporary sealing of certain medical records and professional evaluations filed in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings pending a judicial determination on the need for continued sealing. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR CLAIMS AGAINST THE STATE, ITS OFFICERS, OR ITS EMPLOYEES.

Makes appropriations and approves payments for claims against the State, its officers, and its employees. (SD2)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT COST ITEMS.

Makes emergency appropriations for collective bargaining cost items for the members of bargaining units (1) and (10) and their excluded counterparts to resolve issues related to temporary hazard pay for fiscal year 2025-2026. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT COST ITEMS.

Makes emergency appropriations for collective bargaining cost items for the members of bargaining unit (11) and their excluded counterparts, including the cost of salary adjustments negotiated between the State and the bargaining unit representative for fiscal biennium 2025-2027. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO INSURANCE.

Beginning 1/1/2027, requires insurers to provide explanation of premium increases upon request; clarifies grounds for denial, suspension, and revocation of an adjuster and bill reviewer license; clarifies procedures for denying, suspending, and revoking an insurance producer license; and amends the notice requirements for cancellation or nonrenewal of a property insurance policy. Clarifies the date on which purchase groups are required to pay an annual service fee. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE EXPENDITURE CEILING ON THE AUTOMATED VICTIM INFORMATION AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEM SPECIAL FUND.

Increases from $600,000 to $1,000,000 the annual expenditure ceiling on the Automated Victim Information and Notification System Special Fund to address rising program costs and growing victim service demands. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Updates Hawaii's statutory framework for adult and community education programs to ensure alignment with federal funding requirements and current best practices in those programs. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD2)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

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. Effective 1/30/2050. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SYSTEMS OF CARE.

Modernizes Hawaii's emergency medical services laws to align with current best practices. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO STATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.

Authorizes the Department of Health to establish a vacation payout pilot program 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. Requires reports to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2029. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE STATE HEALTH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.

Amends the functions and responsibilities of the State Health Planning and Development Agency. Adds a new definition of "health care" for chapter 323D, HRS. Amends the exemption threshold for bed changes to up to thirty per cent of existing licensed bed types. Exempts the Department of Health from certificate of need requirements. Effective 1/30/2050. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

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. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

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. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO VETERANS.

Repeals the 6/30/2027 deadline by which the Maui State Veterans Home must be assimilated into a state agency having a Maui affiliation and instead requires the assimilation to be completed as soon as practicable. (SD1)

Kyle T. YamashitaDemocrat

RELATING TO THE TAKING OF MARINE DEPOSITS.

Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to approve permits for research, education, management, or propagation purposes that include the taking of marine deposits seaward of the shoreline, as long as the resources will be returned to the beach if possible and that the taking poses no more than a minimal or negligible risk to the environment. Effective 1/1/3000. (SD1)

Lisa KitagawaDemocrat

RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSE REVOCATION.

Clarifies administrative driver's license revocation procedures by specifying the effect of the notice of administrative revocation and conforming related administrative review and hearing provisions. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT.

Clarifies that community mental health outpatient programs that have agreed to provide mental health services to a defendant as part of an assisted community treatment order may prepare a certificate for assisted community treatment and provide the certificate to a defendant and may file an assisted community treatment petition with the Family Court. Effective 1/1/2050. (SD1)

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO BACKGROUND CHECKS.

Clarifies and streamlines background check requirements for healthcare facility applicants, operators, and direct patient access employees. Effective 1/1/2050. (SD2)

Jenna TakenouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE MAUNA KEA STEWARDSHIP AND OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY.

Part I: Clarifies the powers of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority so that it may carry out its intended duties regarding land use on Mauna Kea. Part II: Adds reversion dates of 6/30/2028 and 12/31/2029 if timelines requiring the adoption of a management plan or sending of proposed administrative rules to the Governor are not met; extends the transition period to 12/1/2029; requires the University of Hawaii to transfer the various Mauna Kea astronomical observatory conservation district use permits to the astronomical observatories; clarifies that the oversight and interest of MKSOA in the Mauna Kea lands shall be no more than the University of Hawaii's leasehold interest in the Mauna Kea lands unless otherwise agreed to by the Board of Land and Natural Resources. Part III: Provides that the existing plans and administrative rules adopted or developed by UH under which Mauna Kea is currently governed remain in effect until plans and administrative rules adopted by MKSOA take effect. Part IV: Clarifies that MKSOA has state sovereign immunity. Part V: Authorizes MKSOA to extend leases and subleases before the expiration of the transition for up to an additional ten-year term. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD2)

Matthias KuschDemocrat

RELATING TO UNCREWED AIRCRAFT OFFENSES.

Clarifies the applicable felony offenses for using an uncrewed aircraft in the furtherance of the commission of a felony. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO PARKING FOR DISABLED PERSONS.

Requires the Disability and Communication Access Board to issue a disability travel placard to an applicant who has a valid removeable windshield placard or disabled paid parking exemption permit but does not have a valid special license plate, and provides proof of travel. (SD2)

Tina Nakada GrandinettiDemocrat

RELATING TO SMALL BOAT HARBORS.

Revises provisions relating to state small boat harbors fees and permits. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Mark J. HashemDemocrat

RELATING TO VETERINARY MEDICINE.

Requires veterinarians to provide a written prescription, upon the request of a client, for any animal patient of a client with whom the veterinarian has established an existing veterinarian-client-patient relationship, to be filled at the pharmacy of the client's choosing. Allows pharmacies licensed in the State to dispense medications prescribed by veterinarians. Specifies that violators may be subject to disciplinary action by the Hawaii Board of Veterinary Medicine, which may include fines or suspension or revocation of a license. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Carol FukunagaDemocrat

REQUESTING THE CENTER FOR NURSING TO COMPILE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF RECOMMENDED SAFE PATIENT STAFFING STRATEGIES AND RATIOS FOR ALL NURSING SPECIALTIES AND SUBSPECIALTIES ACROSS ALL HEALTH CARE SETTINGS, AND TO MAINTAIN A REPOSITORY FOR THIS INFORMATION.

Sean QuinlanDemocrat

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO CONSIDER OFFERING OLELO HAWAII MICRO-CREDENTIALS FOCUSING ON OLELO NIIHAU.

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

URGING MAUI HEALTH SYSTEM TO COLLABORATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO ESTABLISH A FULL-TIME MEDICAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM ON THE ISLAND OF MAUI.

Tyson K. MiyakeDemocrat