Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO STUDENT HEAT EXPOSURE.

Requires the Board of Education to adopt a heat acclimatization and practice policy based on the Hawaii Athletic Trainers Association's Hawaii High School Athletic Association Heat Acclimatization and Practice Policy of 2017 for students in grades kindergarten to twelve in Department of Education schools and public charter schools statewide for certain physical activities. Appropriates funds.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS.

Allows for a prosecution for any offense or attempt of any offense under parts V and VI of chapter 707, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to be brought at any time. Prohibits the dismissal of the prosecution of any offense or attempt of any offense under parts V and VI of chapter 707, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because a period of time has elapsed between the commission of the offense and commencement or continuation of the prosecution.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO CARDIOVASCULAR SCREENING.

Requires cardiovascular screening for students, including student athletes. Requires the Department of Education, in collaboration with the Department of Health, to distribute educational and informational materials regarding sudden cardiac arrest. Requires the Department of Health to implement policies, programs, training, and continuing education that increase health care provider knowledge of cardiovascular screening guidelines.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Authorizes the Disability and Communication Access Board to issue a disability parking travel placard to qualified applicants.

Sharon Y. MoriwakiDemocrat

RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

Expands the purposes of the establishment and operation of offices in out-of-state locations to include serving Hawaii's businesses and tourism efforts through various initiatives. Requires, and appropriates funds for, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to establish an out‑of-state office in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Appropriates funds for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism's Beijing office and Taipei office to promote "Made in Hawaii" branded products and increase the export of Hawaii products.

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

Short form bill.

Dru Mamo KanuhaDemocrat

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO LEGALIZE THE ADULT USE OF CANNABIS.

Proposes a constitutional amendment to authorize individuals aged twenty-one and older to use and possess a personal-use amount of cannabis. Requires the Legislature to enact laws governing the use, manufacture, distribution, sale, possession, regulation, and taxation of cannabis within the State.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION.

Clarifies that residential projects involving ground disturbance in high-risk areas remains subject to review under the State Historic Preservation Program. Removes the historic review exemption for lands presumed nominally sensitive.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

By 1/1/2028, 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.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO TOBACCO PRODUCTS.

Repeals existing law that preempts local ordinances or regulations that regulate the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, and electronic smoking devices and voids any existing local laws and regulations conflicting with the state law governing smoking. Allows counties to adopt ordinances that regulate the sale of cigarettes, tobacco products, and electronic smoking devices that do not conflict with and are more stringent than the state law that governs smoking.

Brandon J.C. ElefanteDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPOSIT BEVERAGE CONTAINER PROGRAM.

Repeals requirement for Auditor to audit the Deposit Beverage Container Program and requires that an independent auditor conduct the audits instead. Establishes the Bag Drop Pilot Program to allow redeemers of deposit beverage containers to drop bags of empty deposit beverage containers at participating redemption sites and be paid later.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO WASTEWATER SYSTEMS.

Establishes a Wastewater Technical Advisory Group to assist the Department of Health in a review of the Department's administrative rules and practices regarding wastewater systems and cesspools and in the development of proposed changes to make cesspool conversions more affordable. Requires report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds for positions and hiring of a consultant to assist the Wastewater Technical Advisory Group.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS.

Requires any operator of a golf course in the State to consult with the Department of Land and Natural Resources to apply for an incidental take license and enter into a habitat conservation plan. Requires any existing habitat conservation plan that does not include an agreement for emergency medical and rehabilitation services to affected native wildlife to be amended to include the agreement, and the amended rights and obligations under the habitat conservation plan to be recorded by a certain deadline.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO A HAWAII CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE PLAN.

Requires the Office of Sustainable Development to establish a Hawaii Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan. Requires a report to the Legislature. Establishes positions. Appropriates funds.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS.

Prohibits an employer from discriminating against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment based on the person's status as a medical cannabis registry card holder or lawful use of medical cannabis, under certain conditions. Authorizes an employer to use a fit-for-duty test for medical cannabis qualifying patients in potentially dangerous occupations under certain conditions. Prohibits a professional or vocational licensing board from revoking the license of medical cannabis qualifying patients, or otherwise subjecting them to discipline, for their lawful use of medical cannabis, under certain conditions.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Renames the Electric Bicycle and Electric Moped Rebate Program to the Electric Mobility Rebate Program. Expands eligibility and amends the maximum rebate amounts. Allows for the registration of class 3 electric bicycles that have wheels smaller than twenty inches and that are intended for adult use. Establishes safe riding behaviors for electric bicycles. Prohibits the operation of high-speed electric devices in certain locations. Establishes labeling and signage requirements for electric bicycles. Prohibits the operation of a moped or electric motorcycle in certain locations. Amends the definition of "bicycle" for purposes of county vehicular taxes. Defines "electric micro-mobility device" and requires the same regulations as electric foot scooters to apply to electric micro-mobility devices. Prohibits a person under the age of sixteen from operating a class 3 electric bicycle. Authorizes a person under the age of fourteen to operate class 2 electric bicycles under supervision. Prohibits a person from riding a class 3 electric bicycle on a sidewalk. Authorizes a person to ride a class 1 or class 2 electric bicycle on a sidewalk under certain circumstances. Prohibits a person from operating a bicycle or electric foot scooter under the age of eighteen without a helmet. Repeals the requirement that moped drivers use bicycle lanes. Changes the term "motor scooter" to "motor‑driven vehicle".

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Defines "portable solar generation device" and establishes certain requirements for their regulation and use. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish an online registration system. Requires reports to the Legislature.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO STATE WATER CODE PENALTIES.

Adds a minimum penalty and maximum penalty per violation of the State Water Code and authorizes the Commission on Water Resource Management to consider each day that a violation exists or continues to exist a separate offense. Establishes factors the CWRM must consider when determining the amount of the penalty. Increases maximum fines, for violations that cause harm, every five years from 2030 to 2045.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO PRIVACY.

Prohibits the sale of geolocation information and internet browser information without consent. Prohibits the sale of data collected through eavesdropping or through an application operating in the background of a device that uses the device's microphone.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO ENERGY EQUITY.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish residential electricity rate structures that prioritize affordability and equity. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a lifeline baseline performance standard, a medical essential needs energy program, and a new tariff. Requires electric utilities to file revised tariffs no later than twelve months after the Public Utilities Commission has issued a final decision and order under this Act. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to convene a stakeholder process for developing and implementing this Act.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.

Requires each food establishment to clearly and conspicuously display, when a price is shown to a customer, the total price of that food or beverage item, including any mandatory fees a customer would incur during the purchase. Prohibits a food establishment from imposing on a customer or advertising any mandatory fees that are excessive or deceptive for any food or beverage offered by the food establishment. Requires the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to adopt rules.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREARMS.

Prohibits persons with a license to carry a firearm from carrying a firearm on the licensee's person without also carrying an electric gun on the licensee's person. Requires a person's license to carry a firearm be revoked if the licensee carries a firearm without also carrying an electric gun.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO INCARCERATED PERSONS.

Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to establish a five-year pilot program to employ and pay incarcerated individuals with fewer than five years left on their sentence the minimum wage. Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to submit reports to the Legislature. Makes an appropriation.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY.

Requires businesses or restaurants open to the public to post a color-coded placard indicating whether the business or restaurant allows firearms or large knives to be brought onto the premises. By January 1, 2027, requires the Department of Law Enforcement to provide businesses and restaurants with free and easily downloadable placards. Effective 1/1/2027.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Expands the Department of Law Enforcement's Agricultural Enforcement Pilot Program to operate on the islands of Kauai and Maui.

III RichardsDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

Appropriates funds for the Department of Health to provide health care to persons under the custody of the Director of Health who do not require hospital level of care and to petition for assisted community treatment where appropriate.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Clarifies that the Department of Health is to presume both the recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Department of Health and Human Services constitute the prevailing medical standard for child health supervision services for purposes of health insurance coverage.

III RichardsDemocrat

RELATING TO USE OF FORCE IN SELF-PROTECTION.

Provides that an actor is not obliged to retreat for purposes of self-defense and defense of others, from agricultural lands if the actor is lawfully present as an owner, lessee, employee, or agent of the State, unless the actor was the initial aggressor.

III RichardsDemocrat

RELATING TO FIRE PREVENTION.

Requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the County Fire Departments to develop and administer the Community Risk Reduction Program. Defines "prescribed burn" and includes its use within the Community Risk Reduction Program. Requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to make annual reports to the Legislature.

III RichardsDemocrat

RELATING TO TAX CREDITS.

Requires that income tax credits existing on 12/31/2026 include a sunset on 12/31/2030. Requires that income tax credits established or renewed after 12/31/2026 include a sunset 7 years after the date of enactment or renewal of the tax credit. Provides for exceptions.

Donovan M. Dela CruzDemocrat

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.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.

Permanently exempts specified positions of the Department of the Attorney General and its administratively attached Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission from civil service (chapter 76, HRS) and, for certain positions where the exemption from collective bargaining under chapter 89, HRS, may be unclear, to expressly provide the exemption. Makes housekeeping amendments to section 28-10.5(b), HRS.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION.

Requires the Director of Law Enforcement to adopt rules establishing training and certification standards and procedures for crisis intervention officers. Clarifies the scope of treatment allowable under orders for assisted community treatment. Requires the Department of the Attorney general to assist with the preparation, filing, and presentation of any request for a court or administrative order authorizing treatment over the objection of certain patients.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO COURT-ORDERED PAYMENTS.

Requires the Judiciary to contract with a collection agency or licensed attorney to collect delinquent court-ordered fees, fines, sanctions, and court costs. Allows courts to specify a period of time or installments for payment of fines, fees, and restitution, and requires the defendant to show cause if the defendant defaults on the payments.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO FILM PRODUCTION.

Adds the marketing and promotion of film production as a power of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

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.

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES.

Authorizes the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt by rule any federal regulation relating to the public lands of the State as it existed on 1/1/2025 that it deems is in the public interest.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO THE MOTION PICTURE, DIGITAL MEDIA, AND FILM PRODUCTION INCOME TAX CREDIT.

Increases the qualified production credit from twenty-two per cent to twenty-seven per cent in any county of the State with a population of over seven hundred thousand and twenty-seven per cent to thirty-two per cent in any county of the State with a population of less than seven hundred thousand. Lifts the per production cap of $17,000,000 for productions with qualified expenditures of $60,000,000 per project. Increases the annual cap to $60,000,000 from $50,000,000 for the total amount of the motion picture, digital media, and film production income tax credit allowed under section 235-17, HRS, and extends the sunset date of the tax credit to January 1, 2038. Clarifies and amends the requirement for an independent third-party certification and expands the definition of "qualified production" to include streaming platforms for the motion picture, digital media, and film production income tax credit. Includes a definition of "streaming platform".

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD-TENANT CODE.

Prohibits a landlord or the landlord's agent from charging an application fee for a criminal background check or credit report if an applicant provides a certified copy of a recent criminal background check or credit report. Prohibits a landlord or the landlord's agent from charging an application fee if a recent comprehensive reusable tenant screening report is available. Requires a landlord or the landlord's agent to provide, upon request, a certified copy of an applicant's criminal background check or credit report.

Angus L.K. McKelveyDemocrat

RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE.

Requires insurers, after a policyholder experiences a total loss, to automatically refund any unearned premium; adjust premiums for subsequent policy terms to reflect the absence of a dwelling, structure, or contents; and provide policyholders with clear notice of the coverage needed for vacant property or while rebuilding.

Angus L.K. McKelveyDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.

Defines the term "cosmetics". Requires all merchants that sell cosmetics to accept returns of new or unopened goods within specified time frames. Exempts certain merchants that sell cosmetics. Clarifies the definition of "conspicuous sign". Beginning 1/1/2027, requires a merchant that sells cosmetics and receives three or more warning letters from the Office of Consumer Protection for failing to post a conspicuous sign to post return and refund policy signs printed and distributed by the Office of Consumer Protection. Appropriates funds.

Angus L.K. McKelveyDemocrat

RELATING TO HIGHWAY SAFETY.

Amends the administrative process at the Administrative Driver's License Revocation Office. Establishes a tiered administration revocation period of a driver's license for those arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO INSURANCE.

Establishes consumer protections and insurer governance requirements for the use of artificial intelligence systems in certain insurance practices, including health insurance benefit determinations and residential property underwriting decisions. Establishes review, monitoring, recordkeeping, disclosure, rebuttal, and cure requirements for the use of artificial intelligence systems in certain insurance practices. Requires the Insurance Commissioner to adopt rules.

Angus L.K. McKelveyDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.

Designates pricing practices based on surveillance data as unfair or deceptive acts or practices and unfair methods of competition in the conduct of any trade or commerce.

Mike LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE.

Requires insurers intending to non-renew a property insurance policy to provide the insured with timely notice, factual reasons, and an opportunity to address any correctable issues.

Angus L.K. McKelveyDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Beginning 11/1/2026, requires landlords to accept comprehensive reusable tenant screening reports, if made available by an applicant, and prohibits application fees in such case.

Angus L.K. McKelveyDemocrat

RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION.

Specifies that the county annual vehicle registration fee is equal to the state annual motor vehicle registration fee.

Rachele LamosaoDemocrat