Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO PAID FAMILY LEAVE.

By 1/1/2027, 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 1/1/2028, requires the Department to start receiving claims and paying benefits under the program. Specifies eligibility requirements and employee protections under the program.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO A CHILD TAX CREDIT.

Establishes a refundable child tax credit. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2025.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE RESEARCH.

Establishes the Parkinson's Disease Research Collection Database to be administered by the Department of Health, to house a collection of data on the incidence of Parkinson's disease in the State. Establishes the Parkinson's Disease Research Collection Database Advisory Committee. Requires the Department to create a Parkinson's disease research collection database webpage by 1/1/2026, and submit annual reports to the Legislature.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREWORKS.

Reduces the offense of purchasing, possessing, setting off, igniting, or discharging aerial devices, display fireworks, or articles pyrotechnic under a weight of twenty-five pounds without a valid permit to a civil violation.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO BROADBAND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE.

Transfers the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to the Department of Accounting and General Services. Transfers the broadband duties of the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to the Hawaii Broadband and Digital Equity Office. Creates a Hawaii Broadband Infrastructure Special Fund. Disbands the Hawaii Broadband Assistance Advisory Council. Requires the Information Technology Steering Committee to oversee and manage public advanced communications technology infrastructure. Appropriates moneys.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Requires the Department of Health to develop a service availability form to be completed by covered entities to convey to patients and the public certain health care services unavailable at the entity before 12/1/2026, and to publish and maintain on its website a list of covered entities and the service availability form submitted by each covered entity before 02/1/2027. Requires the Department of Health to adopt rules, including a process for receiving and investigating complaints and assessing fines against covered entities in violation. Requires each covered entity to submit a completed service availability form to the Department of Health, adopt certain relevant policies by 2/1/2027, provide patients with their current service availability form as part of the informed consent process before initiating a health care service, and maintain a record of the patient's receipt of the form beginning 2/1/2027. Establishes penalties.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

Authorizes the Department of Health to adopt, by rule, any federal regulations as they existed on 1/1/2025, relating to the protection, preservation, care, and improvement of the physical and mental health of the people of the State that it deems to be in the public interest.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER DATA PROTECTION.

Establishes a framework to regulate controllers and processors with access to personal consumer data. Establishes penalties. Establishes the Consumer Privacy Special Fund to be administered by the Department of the Attorney General. Appropriates funds.

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO FOOD DYES.

Prohibits certain food dye additives from being served in school meals of the Department of Education and charter schools.

Samantha DeCorteRepublican

RELATING TO SCHOOLS.

Requires the Department of Education to establish a food waste composting pilot project at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School. Appropriates moneys.

Samantha DeCorteRepublican

RELATING TO YOUTH AND ADULT CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.

Requires the State's youth and adult correctional facilities to provide free and accessible voice communication services for incarcerated persons in state correctional facilities. Prohibits any state agency from deriving revenue or financial benefit from the provision of communication services to persons confined in state correctional facilities. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish service quality standards and rules for the free voice communication services. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO COVERED OFFENDER REGISTRATION.

Amends covered offender registration laws to include offenders who, while acting in a professional capacity, commit the offense of sexual assault in the fourth degree against a minor who is at least sixteen years old. Provides that the exception to public access requirements does not apply when the covered offense was committed against a minor.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO SUPPORTED DECISION-MAKING AGREEMENTS.

Allows qualified adults, including adults with a disability, mentally ill adults, and adults sixty-five years of age or older, to enter into supported decision-making agreements with one or members of a supportive community. Specifies the terms of a supported decision-making agreement, including access to personal information and agreement requirements.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies to collaborate with the federal government for immigration purposes except for in limited, specific circumstances.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION.

Establishes the Office of Gun Violence Prevention to conduct community outreach on gun violence prevention, develop and administer a grant program for gun violence prevention, and develop and administer a gun violence resource bank. Establishes the Gun Violence Prevention Special Fund and appropriates funds into and out of the special fund. Appropriates funds.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO STATE LICENSED CARE FACILITIES.

Requires the Department of Health to post on its website an easily understandable, searchable, and sortable list of all state-licensed care facilities including information on their licenses and inspections. Requires that the list be updated within five days of any change in its information.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO MEDIA LITERACY.

Authorizes school complexes to incorporate media literacy in their standards-based curriculum, including content that prevents negative impacts of misinformation, disinformation, digital discrimination, and online hate speech.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Requires the Board of Education to adopt administrative rules to ban the usage of cell phones at Department of Education schools.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO TAXATION OF POLLUTION.

Amends the environmental response, energy, and food security tax to address carbon emissions. Incrementally increases the tax rate over time. Establishes a refundable tax credit to mitigate the effect of a carbon emissions tax on taxpayers. Reenacts the agricultural development and food security special fund. Requires reports to the Legislature.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO SAFE DRINKING WATER.

Prohibits any state or county law, rule, ordinance, or regulation from requiring the addition of any substance, product, or chemical for preventative health care or medical purposes, that is unrelated to chemicals necessary for protection against contamination of drinking water, to any public water system. Establishes quality control and public safety requirements if the Safe Drinking Water Act is amended to authorize a federal regulation to allow every state to use the drinking water system to dispense chemicals or medication for treating the physical or mental function of a person's body.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Repeals biomass from the renewable portfolio standard definition of "renewable energy".

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO SINGLE-USE PLASTICS.

Prohibits lodging establishments in the State from providing personal care products packaged in small plastic containers in any sleeping room accommodations, space within sleeping room accommodations, and bathrooms used by the public or guests. Establishes civil penalties.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO ORGANIC WASTE.

Establishes statewide goals for solid waste reduction and organic waste diversion. Requires each county to incorporate into its next integrated solid waste management plan revision a plan to divert certain organic waste generated within the county in alignment with established state benchmarks. Appropriates funds.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO HURRICANE SHELTERS.

Appropriates funds for the Office of the Governor, in collaboration with the Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, to strengthen existing hurricane shelters and develop new hurricane shelters to withstand category five hurricanes.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY GENERATING SYSTEMS.

Beginning 1/1/2026, prohibits the issuance of building permits for new single-family dwellings that are part of a development of twenty or more dwellings and do not include a rooftop photovoltaic energy generating system, unless a variance is granted by the Hawaii State Energy Office. Authorizes the Hawaii State Energy Office to adopt administrative rules.

Mike GabbardDemocrat

RELATING TO ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PORTFOLIO STANDARDS.

Extends the State's energy-efficiency portfolio standards from 2030 to 2045 and updates the standards. Authorizes the public utilities commission to adjust the 2045 and interim standards.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO LAND LEASES.

Requires the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to repeal, revoke, or buy out the remainder of the lease of the real property under the Prince Kuhio Plaza, in Hilo, Hawaii, and resell that lease at fair market value to a new entity that agrees to properly maintain the plaza.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO TAX EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTABILITY.

Requires laws that enact, modify, or extend the availability of a tax expenditure to contain specific information, revenue estimates, and analyses before becoming law. Allows the disclosure of certain tax credit information.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

Requires the Developmental Disabilities Division of the Department of Health to amend its eligibility criteria for the home and community-based services Medicaid waiver to include individuals having an intellectual or a developmental disability and a comorbid mental illness. Appropriates funds.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Requires corporations, organizations, or individuals engaging to commercial transactions or trade practices to clearly and conspicuously notify consumers when the consumer is interacting with an artificial intelligence chatbot or other technology capable of mimicking human behaviors. Authorizes private rights of action. Establishes statutory penalties.

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO THE STATE COUNCIL ON MENTAL HEALTH.

Requires the State Council on Mental Health to include an unspecified number of members with demonstrated knowledge of or work experience involving native Hawaiian health practices. Requires council members to receive annual training on topics related to native Hawaiian healing and health.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Authorizes the election of the members of the Hawaiian Homes Commission. Establishes the elected office of Director of Hawaiian Home Lands, the holder of which shall have administrative oversight over the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Subject to congressional approval.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO HEMP.

Requires the Department of Health to construct, operate, and maintain a hemp manufacturing facility. Requires permitted hemp processors to provide certain updated information to the Department of Health no later than 60 days after a relevant event. Explicitly prohibits any person from selling to consumers any hemp biomass, regardless of whether the biomass consists of hemp leaves or hemp floral material, or both. Imposes requirements relating to the form of certain orally consumable manufactured hemp products. Imposes certain labeling requirements. Appropriates moneys.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO STREAM WATER QUALITY.

Implements a 4-phase plan for the Department of Health to address contamination of Ulehawa Stream. Requires the University of Hawaii to provide assistance. Appropriates moneys.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Amends the motion picture, digital media, and film production income tax credit by requiring the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to publish on its website the names of the qualified productions and the amount of the tax credits certified per qualified production per filing year.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO PROCUREMENT.

Requires that any procurement change order that increases the contract cost by more than fifty per cent or substantially increases the scope of work be considered a new contract for procurement purposes.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE.

Requires that each Department of Education public school student earn 2 credits in Hawaiian language for a high school diploma. Establishes a 2-year pilot program for Hawaiian language instruction at Noelani Elementary School and Nanakuli High and Intermediate School. Appropriates moneys.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Establishes the rounding up for teachers' salaries special fund, to be administered by the Department of Education. Requires electric utilities and county boards of water supply to provide an option for customers to voluntarily round up their bill to the nearest dollar or provide a specific contribution amount. Deposits the proceeds into the rounding up for teachers' salaries special fund. Appropriates moneys.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO FIREWORKS.

Prohibits the sale, importation, personal use, and commercial use of all fireworks, except consumer fireworks. Removes permitting requirements for consumer fireworks.

Kurt FevellaRepublican

RELATING TO THE TIP CREDIT.

Beginning 1/1/2026, increases the tip credit to be twenty per cent of the minimum wage and requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to annually calculate an adjusted tip credit amount.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS.

Requires the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to make all business registration applications available online. Requires all applications to contain certain contact information.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.

Requires employers to provide employees with paid breaks.

Henry J.C. AquinoDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, requires the Department of Education to include the teaching of financial literacy in kindergarten through grade twelve. Requires students in grades nine through twelve to complete a one-half credit in financial literacy before graduation. Requires the Board of Education to provide professional development to teachers who are teaching financial literacy courses.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREARMS.

Amends the prohibition on certain assault weapons to include .50 caliber rifles and assault weapon attachments. Modernizes the prohibition on assault pistols to include pistols with one or more prohibited feature. Prohibits firearms other than pistols with a detachable magazine with over a twenty-round capacity. Prohibits persons from bringing or causing to be brought into the State a .50 caliber rifle or assault weapon attachment. Prohibits the sale or transfer of a .50 caliber rifle or assault weapon attachment in the State, unless the .50 caliber rifle or assault weapon attachment is sold or transferred to an authorized individual. Creates exceptions for the acquisition and possession of prohibited firearms for members of law enforcement and the military.

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, requires the Department of Education to require the teaching of financial literacy to be included in the existing personal transition plan requirement for each student.

III RichardsDemocrat

RELATING TO THE POMAIKAI HAWAII FUND.

Establishes the Pomaikai Hawaii Fund within the Department of Budget and Finance for administrative purposes. Requires the Department of Budget and Finance to adopt administrative rules to administer the Pomaikai Hawaii Fund.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO A STATEWIDE DATA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GOVERNANCE AND DECISION INTELLIGENCE CENTER.

Establishes and appropriates funds for a data and artificial intelligence governance and decision intelligence center and necessary positions to improve data quality and data sharing statewide.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Prohibits drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors from restricting or denying access for pharmacies contracted with 340B covered entities to purchase 340B drugs at a discounted price under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. Imposes civil penalties for engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS.

Requires all health care providers who accept Medicare to provide a cognitive assessment as part of the Medicare Part B annual wellness visit for Medicare beneficiaries sixty-five years of age or older, with certain exceptions. Requires health care providers to submit certain information to the Executive Office on Aging and the Executive Office on Aging to report de-identified aggregated data to the Legislature on an annual basis. Appropriates funds. Effective 1/1/2026.

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO DOMESTIC ABUSE PROTECTIVE ORDERS.

Makes a second or subsequent conviction for violation of a domestic abuse protective order a class C felony. Increases the sentencing requirements for second or subsequent convictions.

Brandon J.C. ElefanteDemocrat