Bills & Legislation

RELATING TO VEHICLES.

Allows an all-terrain vehicle or utility terrain vehicle to drive in the evening and night if they are equipped with headlights, taillights, turn signals, and brake lights, and while displaying a slow moving vehicle emblem. Allows drivers of all-terrain vehicles and utility vehicles to wear a safety helmet with a securely fastened chin strap, rather than require. Includes in the definition of "utility-terrain vehicle" a motor vehicle that accommodates one driver and one passenger sitting side-by-side, and up to six people in seat belts. Includes "all-terrain vehicle" and "utility terrain vehicle" in the definition of "motor vehicle" under the State's motor vehicle insurance law. (SD1)

III RichardsDemocrat

RELATING TO ZERO-EMISSIONS VEHICLES.

Appropriates funds for the Hawaii State Energy Office to analyze zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure in the State. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO TEACHERS.

Appropriates funds to the Department of Education and State Public Charter School Commission to provide monetary awards to educators who are recognized by the legislature, during education week, for their accomplishments, excellence in teaching, leadership, and service. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Justin H. WoodsonDemocrat

RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Establishes an executive committee and amends the membership and duties of the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission (Commission). Requires each member agency of the Commission to implement its own actions to address certain strategies and goals established by the Commission. Establishes reporting and review requirements for member agencies relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts and clean economy targets. Updates reporting requirements for the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation reports. Allows the Commission to enter into certain procurement contracts. Updates the zero emissions clean economy target. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nicole E. LowenDemocrat

RELATING TO VEHICLE SAFETY.

Requires the Director of Transportation to adopt rules allowing for mobile vehicle safety inspections of passenger cars. (SD1)

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

Requires the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to procure a third-party consultant to develop a statewide blue economy and ocean technology and innovation strategy. Requires an annual report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREARMS.

Appropriates moneys to support the State's gun buyback program, including at least two gun buyback events in each county. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO FIREARMS.

Requires the Department of the Attorney General to publish, on the Department's public website, an annual report that compiles information on firearms, firearm-related deaths and injuries, and firearm violations. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Sharon Y. MoriwakiDemocrat

RELATING TO PRETRIAL RELEASE.

Requires certain factors to be considered when determining a defendant's financial ability to afford bail.

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.

Requires contractors performing an agency function to retain records related to the performance of that function and provide agencies with access to those records. Deems the records to be government records under the Uniform Information Practices Act. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

David A. TarnasDemocrat

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Requires and appropriates funds for the Department of Transportation to establish a pilot program to offer fully subsidized public transit passes for department employees. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Darius K. KilaDemocrat

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Prohibits state elected officials from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions during any Regular Session or Special Session of the Legislature, including any extension of any Regular Session or Special Session or any legislative recess day, holiday, or weekend. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO ENERGY EQUITY.

Allows the Public Utilities Commission to establish a lifeline baseline performance standard and medically essential needs energy program based on proposals from electric utilities. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Amy A. PerrusoDemocrat

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Amends section 11-364, HRS, to provide that an excess contribution of more than $100 in cash, in the aggregate, from a single person during an election period to a candidate, candidate committee, or noncandidate committee shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund if not returned to the contributor within 30 days.

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Beginning 7/1/2027, requires newly installed or modified individual wastewater systems that are near the shoreline or on highly porous soils to include denitrification capacity. Requires the Department of Health to reduce requirements for disposal systems connected to wastewater systems with denitrification capacity. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nicole E. LowenDemocrat

RELATING TO PRIVATE SUPPORT OF EDUCATION.

Clarifies that free tuition at private educational institutions are to be considered conditional gifts that support educational advancements rather than contractual obligations. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO PARKING.

Prohibits minimum off-street parking requirements for new developments or redevelopment projects located in transit‑oriented development infrastructure improvement program areas. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee LoyDemocrat

RELATING TO ASSAULT.

Elevates criminal penalties for assaults committed against educational workers and sports officials, while preserving appropriate judicial discretion at sentencing. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Andrew Takuya GarrettDemocrat

RELATING TO CARBON OFFSETS.

Requires the Department of Transportation to assist and enable a person to voluntarily purchase a verified carbon offset for greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the person's air travel to or from an airport in the State. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Sean QuinlanDemocrat

RELATING TO ZONING.

Prohibits the counties from imposing certain lot requirements and dwelling specifications for parcels of land zoned for residential uses located within the urban district for purposes of subdivision, development, or the issuance of a building permit, with certain exemptions. Allows the counties to establish a petition process for neighborhoods, subdivisions, or other geographically contiguous areas to establish or retain certain requirements or specifications. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Luke A. EvslinDemocrat

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 and for certain positions from collective bargaining. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nadine K. NakamuraDemocrat

RELATING TO CANCER.

Repeals the requirement that a certain amount received from the cigarette tax on the wholesale price of each article or item of certain tobacco products deposited into the Hawaii Cancer Research Special Fund must be used for debt service of capital expenditures and building maintenance. Appropriates funds for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Andrew Takuya GarrettDemocrat

RELATING TO TAXATION.

Creates an alternative water source income tax credit for taxpayers who install, place in service, or repair a water catchment system or who purchase water delivery services. Applicable to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2026. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)

III RichardsDemocrat

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

RELATING TO REMEDIES.

Prohibits actions based on a building code violation unless the violation was a material violation of the building code. Specifies that claimants must comply with the Contractor Repair Act and bars persons from joining a class action for failure to comply with the Contractor Repair Act. Repeals the requirement that inspections and testing be completed within nine months. Deletes duplicative language for when persons may accept a settlement offer. Limits the amount a claimant can recover if the claimant rejects a contractor's reasonable proposal for inspection or a reasonable offer to remedy. (HD1)

Scot Z. MatayoshiDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Requires applicants for rental housing revolving fund moneys to be either organizations that are required to use all financial surplus, excluding fees, to develop additional housing in the State, or government agencies. Effective 7/1/2050.

Stanley ChangDemocrat

RELATING TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.

Implements recommendations from the 2025 Advisory Committee on Penal Code Review, established pursuant to Act 245, SLH 2024, to amend the Hawaii Penal Code. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

David A. TarnasDemocrat

RELATING TO THE COUNTIES.

Authorizes counties to sell property through non-judicial foreclosure as a way to collect unpaid civil fines, subject to certain conditions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Sean QuinlanDemocrat

RELATING TO SCHOOL MEALS.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, requires public charter schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to provide free meals to students whose family income is no more than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Trish La ChicaDemocrat

RELATING TO LABOR.

Clarifies the employment status of certain delivery drivers under state laws related to workers' compensation, wage and hour, temporary disability insurance, family leave, tax classification of business relationships, and unemployment insurance by establishing conditions under which delivery drivers are deemed employees of the business operating the delivery program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Sean QuinlanDemocrat

RELATING TO THEFT.

Creates the offense of organized retail theft. Provides penalties for organized retail theft which are increased based on value of property and leadership roles. Creates an organized retail theft task force. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Joe GedeonRepublican

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

Beginning 1/1/2027, requires each county to implement fare-free access to its public transportation systems. Establishes the Fare-Free Public Transportation Tax and Dividend Special Fund. Increases the Environmental Response, Energy, and Food Security Tax on petroleum products to fund fare-free public transportation. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Kim Coco IwamotoDemocrat

RELATING TO PROPERTY DAMAGE OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES.

Establishes the class C felony offense of criminal property damage to critical infrastructure facilities. Expands the term "critical infrastructure" to include broadband, wireless, and cable networks. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Greggor IlaganDemocrat

RELATING TO COMMUNITY CARE FOSTER FAMILY HOMES.

Clarifies that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who meet an intermediate care facility or nursing facility level of care shall not be denied residency in a licensed community care foster family home solely because of their disability or enrollment in a specific medicaid waiver program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Luke A. EvslinDemocrat

RELATING TO OPIOID USE DISORDER TREATMENT.

Authorizes licensed paramedics in a county with a population of 100,000 or less to administer buprenorphine after administration of an opioid antagonist in cases of opioid overdoses, under certain conditions. Requires the Department of Health to implement a two-year phased pilot program beginning in one county with a population of 100,000 or less and authorizes expansion of the program statewide as additional treatment resources become available. Requires a report to the Legislature evaluating program outcomes. Appropriates funds. Sunsets 6/30/2028. (SD1)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH.

Establishes and appropriates funds for a one-year Digital Youth Mental Health Platform Pilot Project that will enable the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Department of Health to develop and make publicly available a digital platform designed to help young people address and manage mental health challenges. Requires a report to the Legislature. (SD1)

Karl RhoadsDemocrat

RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION.

Requires the Office of Consumer Protection to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding actions taken in response to potential violations of the Residential-Landlord Tenant Code. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Jarrett KeohokaloleDemocrat

RELATING TO COMPLEX PATIENT TREATMENT.

Appropriates funds to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health to contract with community-based organizations for a behavioral health complex patient model. Requires a report to the Legislature. (SD1)

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.

Requires certain government entities in the State that issue building permits to establish a self-certification process for behind-the-meter, customer-sited solar distributed energy resource systems that deems permit applications approved and allows applicants to proceed to build solar distributed energy resource system immediately. Requires certain government entities in the State that issue building permits to develop guidance for determining specific conditions when a Federal Emergency Management Agency-mandated No-Rise Certification is not required for a solar distributed energy resource system located in a regulatory floodway. Effective 4/19/2042. (SD1)

Glenn WakaiDemocrat

RELATING TO CERTIFICATES OF NEED.

Exempts from the certificate of need requirements certain health care facilities and services that provide certain health care services, serve federally designated medically underserved rural areas, lower patient costs, are unlikely to be overprescribed, and assist certain vulnerable populations. (SD1)

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO A PROGRAM TO CHARACTERIZE CARBON SEQUESTRATION POTENTIAL AND GEOTHERMAL AND UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES STATEWIDE.

Establishes a Geothermal, Carbon Sequestration, and Underground Water Resource Characterization Program via slim hole bores and a related statewide environmental assessment. Appropriates funds for the program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Nicole E. LowenDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

Appropriates funds to establish one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent Advanced Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Specialist position and one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent Marketing and Branding Specialist position within the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO BACKGROUND CHECKS.

Authorizes applicants, operators, and third-party employers, rather than the Department of Health, to conduct background checks of employees and adult volunteers at healthcare facilities. Effective 1/30/2050. (SD1)

Joy A. San BuenaventuraDemocrat

RELATING TO DISCRIMINATION.

Prohibits discrimination based on the perception that a person possesses certain characteristics, the perception that a person is associated with a person who possesses, or is perceived to possess, certain characteristics, or the intersection or combination of two or more specified characteristics in relation to a person. (SD1)

Chris LeeDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM.

Renames the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism as the Department of Housing, Economic Development, and Tourism. Effective 7/1/2060. (SD1)

Stanley ChangDemocrat

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE VICTIM WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

Requires the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu to submit a report to the Legislature. Appropriates grant-in-aid moneys to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu for the Victim Witness Assistance Program. (SD1)

Ronald D. KouchiDemocrat

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS.

Appropriates funds to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands for contracted services for the assessment and inventory of the Molokai Irrigation System.

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO THE HAWAII TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

Requires the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to establish state goals and implement projects to advance economic diversification through innovation and technology. Appropriates funds to support the Hawaii Small Business Innovation Research Program, Manufacturing Assistance Program, and accelerator and small business training programs. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Lynn DeCoiteDemocrat

RELATING TO TAX EXPENDITURE EVALUATION.

Requires tax expenditure disclosure to, and evaluation by, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for certain income tax credits and general excise and use tax exemptions. Requires the Department of Taxation to share certain information with DBEDT upon request. (SD1)

Donovan M. Dela CruzDemocrat

RELATING TO HOUSING.

Clarifies that the dwelling units eligible for the Rent-to-Own Program shall be units that are for sale in fee simple or leasehold on non-ceded state or county land under a lease with an initial term of not less than 99 years. Replaces the five-year period during which the sales price of a rent-to-own dwelling unit shall remain fixed with an option period established by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Stanley ChangDemocrat