Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Short form bill relating to education.

Justin H. WoodsonDemocrat

RELATING TO AIRPORTS.

Short form bill relating to airports.

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO HIGHWAYS.

Short form bill relating to highways.

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Short form bill relating to transportation.

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO THE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER.

Changes the position of Insurance Commissioner from an appointed to an elected one, beginning with the 2026 general election.

Greggor IlaganDemocrat

RELATING TO INSURANCE.

Requires the Hawaii Property Insurance Association to include in its plan of operation insurance coverage for commercial properties twice denied by private insurers.

Greggor IlaganDemocrat

RELATING TO TOURISM.

Short form bill relating to tourism.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO TOURISM.

Short form bill relating to tourism.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO TOURISM.

Short form bill relating to tourism.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO DESTINATION MANAGEMENT.

Short form bill relating to destination management.

Adrian K. TamDemocrat

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

Establishes notice requirements for employers under Hawaii's Workers' Compensation Law. Requires employers who deny the compensability of an employee's injury to submit a written report supporting the denial to the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations within a specified period. Requires employers to furnish to the injured employee up to $10,000 for medical care, services, and supplies for the period immediately following the injury and so long as reasonably needed or until the employer files a written report with the Director denying the compensability of the injury, whichever is earlier. Clarifies that failure to give an employer notice of an employee's injury does not bar a claim for compensation if any person having authority in the interest of the employer had knowledge of the injury.

Sam Satoru KongDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAYS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

Requires the Deputy Director of Highways of the Department of Transportation to be subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO HEALTH CARE.

Eliminates the certificate of need requirement for all health care facilities and health care services except for nursing homes, hospices, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and ambulance service providers.

Sam Satoru KongDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII SPACE COMMISSION.

Establishes the Hawaii Space Commission within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to promote innovation in the fields of space exploration and commercial aerospace. Appropriates moneys.

Kanani SouzaRepublican

RELATING TO PORT WORKERS.

Establishes the Port Worker Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the Department of Transportation regarding management of state-owned and state-managed ports. Requires the Department to conduct meetings to solicit input from port workers on methods to improve ports and problems faced by port workers.

Kanani SouzaRepublican

RELATING TO TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS.

Increases the mandatory minimum jail sentence for a first conviction of knowingly or intentionally violating a temporary restraining order from forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Requires mandatory mental health counseling for a first conviction of knowingly or intentionally violating a temporary restraining order.

Gregg TakayamaDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.

Requires the department of human services to provide written notice to a parent of the parent's rights when conducting an investigation regarding a child who is or may be subject to imminent harm.

Diamond GarciaRepublican

RELATING TO INTERCEPTION OF WIRE, ORAL, OR ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION.

Removes requirement that all wiretapping applications made to a designated judge be accompanied by a written memorandum from the Department of the Attorney General recommending approval or disapproval.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO BRIBERY.

Establishes heightened penalties for the offense of bribery, under certain circumstances.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO ELDER CRIME VICTIMS.

Removes state of mind requirement pertaining to a victim's age for felony assaults aggravated by the victim's age. Raises the threshold age from 60 years of age or older to 65 years of age or older.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO RECORDKEEPING.

Establishes recordkeeping requirements for secondhand dealers, requiring records to be retained for 2 years from the date of sale. Amends and standardizes recordkeeping requirements for pawnbrokers, requiring records to be retained for 2 years from the date of maturity.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO ANIMALS.

Establishes cat owner liability for harm to property or native birds. Prohibits the care of predators on state lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Establishes administrative fines.

Luke A. EvslinDemocrat

RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

Requires the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to: (1) Adopt the National Incident Management System as the standard for all incident management and emergency response operations; (2) Complete an after-action review for all significant emergency incidents or exercises; (3) Develop and manage position task books; (4) require the use of standardized Incident Command System forms; (5) Maintain accreditation through the Emergency Management Accreditation Program; and (6) Define specific roles and responsibilities for all Incident Command System and emergency operations center positions. Expands training and education qualifications and responsibilities for the Administrator of Emergency Management and county-level administrators or directors of emergency management. Amends the contents of the state comprehensive emergency management plan.

Linda IchiyamaDemocrat

RELATING TO INSURANCE.

Establishes tax credits for insurers providing full property coverage to owners and associations of condominiums in the amount equal to twenty per cent of the insurance premium. Provides additional ten per cent tax credits to insurers incorporated in the State.

WARD

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROPERTY DAMAGE.

Amends the misdemeanor offense of criminal property damage in the third degree to include intentionally or knowingly damaging the property of another, if the property is used in a business operation.

Kanani SouzaRepublican

RELATING TO SCHOOL CHOICE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

Establishes a School Choice Scholarship program which allows parents to exercise more financial freedom to send their children to nonpublic schools with the assistance of a $10,000 grant for eligible students.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO SCHOOLS.

Requires public schools with elementary students to allow faculty and staff to provide time and space each day for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and Hawaii Ponoi.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO SCHOOLS.

Requires educational institutions with elementary students to allow faculty and staff to provide time and space for students to engage in student-led group prayer or individual student prayer. Prohibits discipline or admonishment based on participation or non-participation in prayer.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY.

Creates the offense of urinating or defecating in public. Provides penalties for public urination or defecation. Requires mental health evaluation and supportive services for a person experiencing homelessness who is arrested for urinating or defecating in public places.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Increases the capital gains tax for nonresident and foreign taxpayers. Increases the alternative capital gains tax for corporations for nonresident and foreign corporations.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO SEX-BASED ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS IN SPORTS.

Requires the department of education to designate athletic sports teams based on the biological sex assigned to players at birth. Prevents males from participating in female sports.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO SCHOOL SAFETY.

Mandates that each school sporting event of 25 or more participants have an AED trained faculty member or athletic trainer in attendance and all schools be equipped with AED devices, Narcan, EpiPens, and inhalers. Mandates CPR training for coaches and athletic trainers. Appropriates funds.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO SURFING.

Clarifies that surfers have the right of way in designated surf locations to be determined by the department of land and natural resources. Authorizes penalties for fishermen who violate this section. Requires DLNR to implement a public education campaign, erect clear signs, and create a designated surf location map.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO TEACHER RETENTION.

Establishes the Onipaʻa Teacher Bonus Program to address teacher retention and award teachers for outstanding and extended service in the department of education. Ensures that general education teachers assigned to special education inclusion classes receive the same additional benefits as special education teachers.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO FAMILY COURT.

Amends provisions relating to criteria in family court determinations regarding custody and visitation rights. Clarifies that no court shall consider a parent's affirmation of their child's gender identity or expression in a custody determination.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO INTEREST.

Protects consumers, who are purchasing their first vehicle, from predatory interest rates by setting a maximum interest rate of two per cent for consumers with a credit score below six hundred and zero per cent for consumers with a credit score of six hundred or more. Authorizes existing avenues of redress from usury under chapter 478 to apply to this Act.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO PUBLIC ORDER.

Establishes the offense of loitering on public property and adds trespassing on public property to the offense of criminal trespass in the first degree. Establishes the homeless case management program and special fund, administered by the judiciary for the benefit of persons experiencing homelessness.

David Alcos IIIRepublican

RELATING TO MEDICAL RECORDS.

Establishes fees that medical providers may charge for requests for a patient's medical records from the patient's family member, caregiver, or representative. Requires medical providers to respond to requests in a timely manner. Establishes penalties.

Lisa MartenDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII ABLE SAVINGS PROGRAM.

Repeals the requirement to use the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program Trust Fund if the Director elects to accept deposits from contributors instead of sending deposits directly to the ABLE program manager. Authorizes the Director of Finance to expend moneys in the trust fund to provide incentive payments to Hawaii public school ABLE account owners. Appropriates funds for incentive payments to Hawaii public school ABLE account owners and to fund a position to provide statewide outreach, advocacy, and relationship management for the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program.

Lisa MartenDemocrat

RELATING TO DEFAMATION.

Protects individuals who make claims of sexual misconduct from defamation lawsuits unless the claims were proven to be made with malice.

David A. TarnasDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREARMS.

Clarifies the requirements for the secure storage of firearms. Amends the offense of criminally negligent storage of a firearm to establish felony penalties for when a minor obtains an unsecured firearm and it results in injury or death.

Sean QuinlanDemocrat

RELATING TO THE STATE BUILDING CODES.

Requires all newly constructed single-family residences and apartment buildings located within specified geographic areas to be built to withstand certain categories of hurricanes and to contain residential safe rooms with attached bathrooms. Effective 1/1/2026.

Della Au BelattiDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Establishes a two-year pilot program that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires the Department of Education to provide free school lunch to all students enrolled at a department school. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Repeals on 6/30/2027.

LA CHICA

RELATING TO THE HOUSEHOLD AND DEPENDENT CARE SERVICES TAX CREDIT.

Increases a taxpayer's applicable percentage of employment-related expenses that may be claimed for the household and dependent care services tax credit for five years. Repeals 6/30/2030.

Jeanne KapelaDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSERVATION BANKING.

Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to operate and approve conservation banks.

Mark J. HashemDemocrat

RELATING TO THE STATE PARKS SPECIAL FUND.

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

Mark J. HashemDemocrat

RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS.

Provides that a survey of the land to be set aside shall not be a condition precedent to the setting aside of public lands to any department or agency of the State.

Herbert M. "Tim" Richards IIIDemocrat

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII'S SPACE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING INITIATIVE.

Appropriates funds for salaries and fringe benefits of positions for the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy's Space Science and Engineering Initiative Workforce Development Program, Maunakea Scholars Program, and Internship Program. Appropriates funds for office equipment and supplies, operational costs, and stipends for the Maunakea Scholars Program and Internship Program.

Herbert M. "Tim" Richards IIIDemocrat