Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO SEARCH AND RESCUE.

Requires government entities to seek reimbursement for all or a portion of search or rescue expenses for persons who require rescue after leaving a hiking trail to enter an area closed to the public or hiking on a trail closed to the public, and there is a sign giving notice of the closure.

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO PROCUREMENT.

Requires the Procurement Policy Board to adopt rules requiring contracts to impose mandatory fines or provide for termination of a contract for default if a contractor fails to perform the contractor's duties or if there is a major delay in a deliverable. Requires each contract to establish a schedule of deliverables and to specify what constitutes a "major delay".

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO SMALL BUSINESS LOANS.

Establishes the Hawaii start-up business loan program. Establishes the Hawaii start-up business loan program special fund. Requires DBEDT to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding the program. Appropriates funds.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO ENERGY.

Authorizes state facilities to wheel electricity produced by their own facility from renewable energy sources to other state facilities pursuant to administrative rules or orders established by the Public Utilities Commission. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to submit a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Requires the Office of Elections to establish three additional voting centers in a county with a population of five hundred thousand or more. Requires a report to the Legislature.

Donna Mercado KimDemocrat

RELATING TO THE LABELING OF MACADAMIA NUTS.

Specifies that the macadamia nut labeling requirements apply if the applicable products are produced in whole or in part from Hawaii-grown and Hawaii-processed macadamia nuts. Effective 1/2/2026.

Troy N. HashimotoDemocrat

RELATING TO IRONWORKERS.

Prohibits any person from disassembling, dismantling, or demolishing iron projects unless the person has completed an apprenticeship program for ironworkers approved and registered with the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations. Establishes penalties. Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to adopt rules.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO ELECTRIC UTILITIES.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to consider whether approving a proposed merger or acquisition would or would not further the State's renewable energy goals. Prohibits the acquiring entity of an electric utility company from terminating or attempting to renegotiate any existing and valid power purchase agreements and requires the acquiring entity to assume and be bound by existing collective bargaining agreements and retain all covered employees. Establishes a process to ensure that when an electric utility is subject to an application for a proposed acquisition, merger, or consolidation by a potential acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility and seeks approval of the application from the Public Utilities Commission, the electric utility shall demonstrate that it solicited bids from potential acquiring entities that operate under a non-investor-owned utility ownership model. Requires the electric utility to submit acceptable bids from a potential acquiring entity operating under a non-investor-owned utility ownership model concurrently with an application by a potential acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility and the Public Utilities Commission to review those applications concurrently. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Establishes a nonrefundable income tax credit for taxpayers that incur costs related to the design, materials, installation, and construction of hurricane-resistant safe rooms. Effective 7/1/2077. (SD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES.

Authorizes any department of the Invasive Species Council, county, or any agent of a department of the Invasive Species Council or a county, including the Hawaii Ant Lab or an island-based invasive species committee to use community action programs for the control or eradication of certain invasive pests. Defines community action program. Exempts individuals participating in a community action program from pest control operator requirements and regulations.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

Establishes the eighth day of August of each year as "Hawaii Disaster Drill Day". Requires the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with all state departments and agencies, to conduct drills and perform other activities for that day. (SD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO INSURANCE.

Allows an insured to authorize the insurer to electronically remit claim proceeds to the insured's mortgagee when a homeowners insurance policy that covers a mortgaged property allows for the payment of proceeds by issuing a check. Requires a mortgagee in receipt of electronic delivery of claim proceeds to deliver the proceeds of the claim to the insured in accordance with the mortgage agreement and the insurance policy. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO SPECIAL NUMBER PLATES.

Authorizes the issuance of special number plates to commemorate the island of Kahoolawe.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO CHIROPRACTIC.

Beginning 7/1/2027, allows chiropractic students enrolled in a qualified chiropractic college to engage in clinical practice as part of their college instruction if directly supervised by a qualified licensed chiropractor. Requires the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic to adopt rules. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO DECLARATION OF WATER SHORTAGE AND EMERGENCY.

Amends the conditions, manner, and areas in which the Commission on Water Resource Management can declare and provide notice of water shortages and emergencies.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO CONDOMINIUMS.

Amends the conditions and procedures of alternative dispute resolution methods for condominium-related disputes, including the use of evaluative mediation or binding arbitration. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD2)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO CONDOMINIUMS.

Establishes processes and requirements for associations to impose fines against unit owners, tenants, and guests for violations of the declaration, bylaws, or house rules. Prohibits associations from charging attorneys' fees with respect to any fines that are not deemed collectable. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO COMBAT SPORTS.

Renames the State Boxing Commission of Hawaii as the Boxing and Combat Sports Commission of Hawaii. Creates a subcommission on boxing and subcommission on combat sports. Amends the jurisdiction of the Commission to include combat sports contests. Prohibits no rules combat or similar combat sports contests. Repeals the existing Mixed Martial Arts Contests program. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD3)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO ACCESSIBILITY.

Establishes that it is an unlawful discriminatory practice for public accommodations to deny a person with a disability full and equal enjoyment of information related to their services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations using information and communication technology intended for use by the general public as applicants, participants, customers, clients, or visitors.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO RED HILL.

Establishes a Water Alliance Initiative Policy Coordinator for coordination of Red Hill WAI initiatives. Creates the Red Hill Remediation Special Fund. Effective 1/1/2050. (SD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Establishes a permitted interaction group within the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Appropriates funds to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to continue geophysical data collection, investigation, exploration, and identification of geothermal resources on Hawaiian home lands. Authorizes DHHL to hire consultants. Effective 7/31/2050. (SD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Authorizes the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to utilize funds in the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund as collateral when DHHL is an eligible borrower of a loan guaranteed by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to the Housing and Community Development Act, as amended, subject to approval of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. Appropriates funds. (SD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Requires, for tenancies greater than 90 days, a landlord to notify a tenant of any intent to raise the rent for any subsequent rental agreement or any intent to terminate a rental agreement 60 days before the expiration of the original rental agreement. Requires 90 day's notice for a landlord or tenant to terminate tenancies of three years or more and 60 days' notice to terminate tenancies of less than three years, with certain exceptions. Increases the amount of notice required to terminate tenancies that are less than month-to-month.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO EVICTION RECORDS.

Requires that all court records of any eviction proceeding be sealed within specified timeframes upon resolution of the proceeding. Authorizes the court to seal certain eviction records prior to the expiration of these timeframes upon motion by a tenant who is able to demonstrate that certain conditions apply. Requires the clerk of the court to provide access to sealed eviction records to the tenant. Makes it a discriminatory practice to require a person to disclose a sealed eviction record as a condition of certain real property transactions. Prohibits discrimination in real property transactions against a person with a sealed eviction record.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO EVICTIONS.

Prohibits landlords from terminating certain tenancies without cause. Establishes criteria under which landlords can undertake a no-fault eviction. Requires landlords, when proceeding with a no-fault eviction, to offer relocation assistance to the tenant or waiver of the final month's rent. Effective 1/1/2026.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Requires certain landlords to provide a specified notice to a tenant regarding the tenant's potential right to purchase the property, under certain conditions. Allows tenants, families, local governments, affordable housing nonprofits, and community land trusts forty-five days to match or beat the best bona fide offer to buy an eligible affordable housing property.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO ANTITRUST.

Prohibits the use of algorithmic price-setting in Hawaii's rental market. Requires the Department of the Attorney General to develop and undertake a public education program regarding the prohibition. Establishes fines and penalties. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO PUBLIC BANKING.

Establishes a state-owned bank implementation board within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to determine the need for, potential costs and benefits of, and prerequisites to establishing a state-owned bank. Requires a report to the legislature.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO SCHOOL IMPACT FEES.

Exempts certain housing developments from assessments of school impact fees.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH.

Requires the Department of Health to construct a mental health facility for inmates or detainees with mental health needs in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Appropriates moneys.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO COUNTY PERMITTING AND INSPECTION.

Allows state projects to be exempt from county building permit requirements under certain conditions. Requires all exempted state projects to be included in a report that is regularly made available to the public. Allows state agencies that undertake projects to be dedicated to a county to prepare programmatic or project-specific agreements that establish requirements and standards for review and acceptance if the agency wants the project to be exempted. Allows state agencies that want to be exempted from county permitting processes to establish a cooperative working group. Requires cooperative working groups to submit an interim report to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2026. Effective 5/13/2040. (SD1)

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

Establishes the Hawaii State Fellows Program within the Department of Human Resources Development to match talented applicants with full-time, paid fellowship roles in various state agencies for a period of ten to eleven months. Establishes minimum qualifications and procedures for eligible applicants to apply to the program. Gives preference to eligible program applicants who have pre-existing ties to the State or a demonstrated commitment to long-term leadership in the State. Requires the Department of Human Resources Development, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, to coordinate with state agencies to implement and promote the program. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO THE RENTAL HOUSING REVOLVING FUND.

Requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to maximize the amount of housing built that utilizes loans from the Rental Housing Revolving Fund by prioritizing projects with the shortest projected loan repayment terms that produce the highest number of units, per dollar, per year. Repeals all other priorities and preferences for projects utilizing the RHRF.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Repeals statutory requirements for certain housing projects to be eligible for loans from the Rental Housing Revolving Fund. Repeals certain statutory provisions for grants to developers for rental units eligible to be financed in part or in whole by the RHRF. Repeals statutory language requiring the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to establish an application process for RHRF allocation that prioritized projects meeting certain requirements. Renames the Rental Housing Revolving Fund to the State Housing Revolving Fund (SHRF). Clarifies eligible applicants of the SHRF. Authorizes the HHFDC to use funds from the SHRF for broader housing projects. Establishes the Housing Efficiency and Innovation Subaccount within the SHRF. Authorizes the HHFDC to transfer funds between the Housing Efficiency and Innovation Subaccount and the RHRF without legislative approval. Amends the criteria and eligibility requirements for applicant developers seeking assistance from the SHRF. Requires the HHDFC to maximize the amount of housing built that utilizes loans from the SHRF by prioritizing projects with the shortest projected loan repayment terms that produce the highest number of units, per dollar, per year. Repeals all other priorities and preferences for projects utilizing the RHRF. Establishes a working group to revise the State's Qualified Allocation Plan, the prioritization of the SHRF, and the terms of loans. Requires a report to the Legislature. Allocates ten per cent of conveyance tax collections to the DURF. Removes the annual cap on conveyance taxes paid into the SHRF.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL TUITION.

Requires graduates of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine who have paid in-state tuition to serve as a physician in the State for at least 2 years following their medical residency or fellowship. Begins with the class of 2029. Effective 7/31/2050. (SD1)

Troy N. HashimotoDemocrat

RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES.

Establishes a two-year Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling and Reuse Working Group within the Hawaii State Energy Office. Requires the working group to examine how to maximize the recycling and reuse of electric vehicle batteries and recommend electric vehicle battery management practices. Requires a report to the Legislature. (SD1)

Brandon J.C. ElefanteDemocrat

RELATING TO LEGISLATIVE EMPLOYEES.

Repeals staff of the legislative branch of the State from the list of individuals not included in any appropriate bargaining unit. Specifies that the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each have one vote if they have employees in a particular bargaining unit for the purposes of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO PEDESTRIANS.

Establishes a three-year Pedestrian Safety Pilot Program in a county with population of two hundred fifty thousand or less, under certain conditions. Authorizes the Governor to revoke and abolish the Pilot Program and overturn a county's request to opt-out of the Pilot Program. Authorizes a county with a population of over two hundred fifty thousand to participate in the Pilot Program, subject to certain conditions. Requires reports to the Legislature. Requires a driver of a vehicle to yield to a pedestrian when the pedestrian clearly indicates their intention to cross a roadway within a crosswalk. Sunsets 6/30/2028. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO MEDICAL INFORMED CONSENT.

Requires the Hawaii Medical Board to establish standards for health care providers to ensure that a patient's consent to treatment is an informed consent. Requires that informed consent for a proposed medical or surgical treatment or a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure shall be obtained before the day of that treatment or procedure. Specifies that if the treatment or procedure is to occur on the same day it is scheduled, the informed consent shall be obtained at the time the decision is made to schedule that treatment or procedure.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO VESSELS.

Requires the Department of Transportation to work with relevant stakeholders to conduct a study of noise regulations and best practices as they apply to other ports in similar locations. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE.

Requires that the Hawaiian version of a law be held binding if the law in question was originally drafted in Hawaiian and meets certain criteria. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO CARBON OFFSETS.

Requires the Department of Transportation to assist and enable a person to voluntarily purchase a verified carbon offset for carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the person's air travel to or from an airport in the State. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

Expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to include any individual or household whose monthly income is equal to or less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level. Appropriates funds.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO AN INTERSTATE COMPACT TO PHASE OUT CORPORATE WELFARE.

Adopts the Interstate Compact to Phase Out Corporate Welfare.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE RULES.

Beginning 1/1/2027, requires all state agencies to make the full text of their rules available on the website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in a digitally accessible and searchable format that meets or exceeds certain federal standards. Effective 1/1/2525. (SD1)

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO CHILD CARE.

Requires the Department of Accounting and General Services to establish and operate a Child Care Center Pilot Program on Oahu for eligible children of state employees, one in or near the state capitol and one in Kapolei. Appropriates funds. Repeals on 6/30/2030.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO CORPORATIONS.

Requires domestic and foreign corporations to provide their shareholders with reports of independent expenditures and political contributions.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat