Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES.

Establishes a temporary, independent Public School Realignment and Closure Commission to develop and recommend a comprehensive package of school consolidations, realignments, and closures based on the federal Base Realignment and Closure model. Requires reports to the Legislature. Requires an expedited approval process by the Governor and Legislature. Appropriates moneys. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD2)

Kyle T. YamashitaDemocrat

RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES.

Requires the School Facilities Authority to establish geographically based capital improvement project districts for the localized management of capital improvement projects. Transfers all capital improvement project functions, funds, and vacant Facilities Development Branch positions from the Department of Education to the School Facilities Authority. Clarifies that general funds shall not be used for operations or management of the Authority. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD2)

Kyle T. YamashitaDemocrat

RELATING TO CASH TRANSACTION ROUNDING.

Requires cash transactions to be rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents. Requires cash transactions that total $0.01 or $0.02 to be rounded up to $0.05. Exempts transactions in which payment is made by demand or negotiable instrument, electronic fund transfer, check, gift card, money order, credit card, or other like instrument or method.

Kyle T. YamashitaDemocrat

RELATING TO VEHICLE SAFETY.

Authorizes the Department of Transportation to implement a pilot program to allow for mobile vehicle safety inspections for passenger cars. Establishes a four-year sunset date on the pilot program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Joe GedeonRepublican

RELATING TO THE STATE PARKS SPECIAL FUND.

Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to expend the moneys from the State Parks Special Fund for programs aimed at environmental protection.

Joe GedeonRepublican

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS.

Requires the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to make certain contact information for newly registered entities available online. Requires the Director to transmit the contact information to the Business Development and Support Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Joe GedeonRepublican

RELATING TO TIP CREDIT.

Beginning 1/1/2027, increases the tip credit amount to equal twenty-five per cent of the minimum wage. Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to annually calculate the adjusted tip credit amount.

Joe GedeonRepublican

RELATING TO THE HAWAII HOMES FOR HAWAII FAMILIES ACT.

Prohibits corporate owners from renting a single-family home to a residential tenant when the owner has a property interest in five or more such properties. Prohibits individual owners from renting a single-family home to a residential tenant when the owner has a property interest in seven or more such properties. Allows for exemptions and enforcement.

Joe GedeonRepublican

RELATING TO CESSPOOLS.

Repeals the mandated upgrade, conversion, or sewer connection of all the cesspools in the State before 2050.

Christopher L. MuraokaRepublican

RELATING TO THE CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CENTRAL REGISTRY.

Provides a path for expungement from the child abuse and neglect registry for survivors of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, or coercive abuse if certain conditions are met.

Christopher L. MuraokaRepublican

RELATING TO ILLEGAL CAMPING.

Clarifies petty misdemeanor penalties for the offense of criminal trespass onto public parks and recreational grounds. Provides for seizure of abandoned or unattended personal property. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a homeless outreach and case management program. Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to identify and restore vacated homeless encampment areas in the State and report to the Legislature. Appropriates moneys.

Christopher L. MuraokaRepublican

RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE.

Authorizes the forfeiture of real property when used to commit promoting gambling in the first or second degree regardless of whether it was committed without the knowledge and consent of the owner. Authorizes the forfeiture of real property under the gambling forfeiture section.

Christopher L. MuraokaRepublican

RELATING TO OFFENDER REENTRY.

Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide a certificate of rehabilitation to offenders who have satisfied all sentencing and post-release requirements. Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to work with government and private stakeholders to conduct public education regarding the certificates. Authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to work with state agencies to increase offenders' eligibility for security clearance in post-release employment with the State. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Christopher L. MuraokaRepublican

RELATING TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Prohibits music streaming platforms from hosting, distributing, or otherwise making available in the State music performed or attributed to an artificial intelligence music artist. Makes violations an unfair method of competition and an unfair and deceptive act or practice. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Greggor IlaganDemocrat

RELATING TO RETIREMENT.

Includes the Chief Investigator and Chief Special Investigator of the Department of Law Enforcement as class A members of the pension and retirement system. Establishes guidance for the computation of retirement benefits for the Adjutant General, Deputy Adjutant General, Fire Marshal, and Deputy Fire Marshal. (HD2)

Jackson D. SayamaDemocrat

RELATING TO RETIRANTS.

Establishes a five-year pilot program allowing retirants to be rehired for exempt service for one-year terms under certain circumstances. Provides that retirants employed under the program are excluded from the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund and will not experience an interruption of pension benefits. Requires an employer of a retirant under the program to contribute to the Employees' Retirement System. Requires the Department of Human Resources Development to submit a report to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2031. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Jackson D. SayamaDemocrat

RELATING TO PAID FAMILY LEAVE.

By 1/1/2029, requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to establish a family and medical leave insurance program and begin collecting payroll contributions to finance payment of benefits. By 1/1/2030, requires the Department to begin receiving claims and paying benefits under the program. Specifies eligibility requirements and employee protections under the program. Excludes paid family and medical leave benefits from income tax. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Jackson D. SayamaDemocrat

RELATING TO THE KANEOHE BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL.

Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to provide administrative support to the Kaneohe Bay Regional Council. Requires the chairperson of the Council to be selected by the voting members from among all voting and nonvoting members on an annual and rotating basis. Requires the Council to meet quarterly. Effective 1/1/3000. (SD1)

Lisa KitagawaDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Requires the counties to automatically approve permits for hurricane retrofitting under certain conditions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Lauren MatsumotoRepublican

RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT.

Expands an individual's eligibility to receive assisted community treatment if they are a repeat petty offender.

Lauren MatsumotoRepublican

RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST.

Requires the office of the legislative analyst to produce fiscal notes on all fiscal bills. Prohibits a committee from making a decision on a fiscal bill without a fiscal note. Mandates that fiscal notes be made available to the public. Appropriates funds.

Lauren MatsumotoRepublican

RELATING TO ELECTION REFORM.

Requires the Chief Election Officer role to be an elected position by popular vote beginning with the 2030 general election. Amends the appointment process of the elections commission to subject nominations to confirmation by an appointing body. Makes conforming amendments.

Lauren MatsumotoRepublican

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Prohibits the imposition of cost-sharing requirements for certain diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations.

Lauren MatsumotoRepublican

RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT EARNINGS.

Requires hourly rate or salary ranges to be disclosed on job listings for full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal employees. Removes the exemption for employers having fewer than fifty employees. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

RELATING TO TRUSTS.

Establishes a fifty-year duration limit for new private, noncharitable trusts. Requires large private trusts to file annual reports with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Imposes limitations and reporting requirements on permitted transfers in trusts.

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

RELATING TO PURCHASE OF SERVICE CONTRACTS BY THE JUDICIARY.

Beginning 1/1/2027, requires contracts for services awarded to community-based organizations by the Judiciary in support of fulfilling the Judiciary's statutory mandate to individuals, families, and communities in the State to include certain protections against inflation. Appropriates funds to the Judiciary to increase the contract price in existing contracts for services provided by community-based organizations in support of fulfilling the Judiciary's statutory mandate to individuals, families, and communities in the State. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE IX OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO WAGE EQUITY.

Proposes an amendment to Article IX of the Hawaii State Constitution to guarantee that every person has the inalienable right, while engaged in employment in the State, to be paid at a wage rate that is at least equal to the state minimum wage rate, as provided by law, without regard to the type or nature of employment, unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means.

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

RELATING TO MEDICAID.

Prohibits a financial risk-bearing entity from administering Medicaid services. Requires the Department of Human Services to contract with one or more administrative services organizations to perform non-risk administrative functions for the operation of the State's Medicaid program. Requires the Department to establish a Medicaid Care Coordination Program to contract with community-based programs to provide care coordination services. Requires physicians, other independent practitioners, hospitals, and other institutional providers to be paid or reimbursed directly by the State's medicaid agency. Requires the Department to establish regional health hubs in each county to serve as localized oversight bodies. Requires the Department to convene a Medicaid Stakeholder Advisory Group to support continuous improvement throughout the transition period. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriate funds.

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT.

Authorizes registered nurses and qualified state-licensed health care professionals who are participating in a community paramedicine program approved by the Department of Health who are licensed by the State to administer medication as part of an assisted community treatment order's treatment plan to the subject of the order, under certain circumstances. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Lisa MartenDemocrat

MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT COST ITEMS.

Makes emergency appropriations for collective bargaining cost items for the members of bargaining unit (14) 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 FUNDING ADJUSTMENTS FOR STATE PROGRAMS.

Appropriates general funds to various programs due to anticipated operating shortfalls because of the lack of authority to transfer funds between programs. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO FUNDING ADJUSTMENTS FOR STATE PROGRAMS.

Appropriates general funds to various programs due to anticipated operating shortfalls because of the lack of authority to transfer funds between programs. Appropriates moneys to certain programs for operations in FY26-27. Lapses moneys from the State Risk Management Revolving Fund to the general fund. Appropriates moneys into and out of the major disaster fund to address flood disaster recovery and response costs. (SD2)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND INVESTMENT OFFICE STAFF SALARIES.

Enables the Board of Trustees of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund to establish appropriate salaries for the investment office staff of the Trust Fund after conducting a market analysis of commensurate salaries in the private sector. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM'S EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS FOR NORMAL COST AND ACCRUED LIABILITY.

Increases employer contributions for normal cost and accrued liability for a specified group of employees to ensure the unfunded accrued liability of the Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii does not exceed the maximum funding period.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE EXEMPTION FROM CIVIL SERVICE OF EXECUTIVE PERSONNEL OF THE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM.

Allows the Board of Trustees of the Employees' Retirement System, through its Executive Director, to appoint specified executive personnel positions of the Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii and exempts these positions from the State's civil service requirements.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO EXPUNGEMENT ORDERS.

Amends the expungement orders law to reflect that a person who is arrested for or charged with a crime but convicted of a violation is eligible for an expungement of their arrest record for that incident. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE EMERGENCY AND BUDGET RESERVE FUND.

Appropriates moneys out of the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund for fiscal year 2026-2027 to maintain the levels of programs determined to be essential to education, public health, and public welfare, to provide for counter cyclical economic and employment programs of economic downturn, to restore facilities destroyed or damaged or services disrupted by disaster, and to meet other emergencies declared by the Governor or determined to be urgent by the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT.

Short form bill.

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 PORT PILOTAGE.

Clarifies the consulting role and responsibilities of the Department of Transportation in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' development and implementation of pilot licensure standards, requirements, and criteria. Repeals the inclusion of Port Allen as part of the waters of the State that are regulated by statutory pilotage requirements. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO ENERGY ASSISTANCE.

Establishes the Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program within the Department of Human Services to assist qualifying households in paying their energy bills. Requires the Public Utilities Commission Public Benefits Fee Administrator to provide certain information and assistance to recipients of the program. Appropriates funds to implement the program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE NURSE LICENSURE COMPACT.

Allows the Governor to enter the State into the multistate Nurse Licensure Compact, which will allow a nurse who is licensed by a home state to practice under a multistate licensure privilege in each party state, effective 1/1/2027. Beginning 1/1/2027, allows the State Board of Nursing to charge different fees for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who hold a multistate license issued by the State. Appropriates general revenues.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT LICENSURE COMPACT.

Authorizes the Governor to enter the PA Licensure Compact to create a comprehensive process that complements the existing licensing authority of the state medical board and provides a streamlined process that allows a PA to become licensed in multiple states, thereby enhancing the portability of a PA license and ensuring the safety of patients.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING.

Includes correctional workers as protected participants in peer support counseling sessions, giving them the same confidentiality protections provided to law enforcement officers and emergency services personnel.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO PAROLE ELIGIBILITY.

Expands the types of programs in which a committed person may participate to be eligible for parole. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

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 THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY.

Establishes the Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency as the Deputy Director of Emergency Management within the Department of Defense, under the direction of the Adjutant General. Clarifies the position's reporting structure and duties. Requires the Commission on Salaries, pursuant to section 26-56, HRS, to include the Deputy Director of Emergency Management in its recommendations for executive branch salary levels. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat