Plan to raise hotel room tax for climate change among surviving bills

A bill that would generate new revenue for the state to address climate change and reduce the risk of future wildfires by increasing the state hotel room tax remains alive at the midpoint of the 2025 Hawaii legislative session.

Perennial efforts to allow different forms of gambling, such as a lottery, and legalize adult recreational marijuana use, however, once again appear dead, among hundreds of other bills that have stalled.

Others remain alive that are intended to curtail the use of illegal fireworks following the deadly New Year’s explosion in Ahuimanu that killed six people, including a 3-year-old boy, and maimed dozens of others.

Legislators introduced a total of 3,172 House and Senate bills since the session began Jan. 15.

Out of all of them, 309 passed out of the Senate and 376 from the House last week and into the other chamber, meaning they’ll continue to be considered at least at some point during the next half of the legislative session that’s scheduled to end May 2.

Several remaining bills are designed to further reform government, addressing state elections, campaign fundraising, lobbying and nepotism. But bills have died that would impose term limits on state legislators, the only officials elected to state offices who are able to serve indefinitely.

Many of the reform bills were proposed by the state Campaign Spending Commission and state Elections Commission, which continue to pursue government transparency and election, campaign and lobbying reform.

Even some bills that passed out of the House and Senate last week, however, typically die quickly and quietly once they cross over into the opposite chamber.

Following the end of the 2023 legislative session, Gov. Josh Green signed 263 bills into law, followed by 253 in 2024.

Both House Speaker Nadine Nakamura and House Republican Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto earlier this session said this year represented unprecedented cooperation between the Democratic majority and Republican minority, especially when it comes to making life more affordable for struggling residents.

In a small indication of whether the bipartisan support would produce tangible results, the nine-member House Republican Caucus for the first time in at least 15 years saw one of its bills pass out of the 51-member House and into the Senate last week.

The latest version of the Republicans’ bill, House Bill 286, would increase the maximum annual deduction for contributions to, and the maximum account levels for, individual housing accounts.

Matsumoto wrote in a text to the Honolulu Star-­Advertiser that it’s “unfortunate” that more Republican-­­s­ponsored bills don’t pass through the Legislature “because they are great ideas that will help the people of Hawaii.” She described HB 286 as “a strong bill that will help local families be able to afford a down payment for their first home.”

Taxes on tourists

The 2025 legislative session represents Green’s third consecutive attempt to raise new revenue to pay for the estimated $500 million the state needs annually to respond to climate change and reduce the risk of future wildfires across the state.

Before the August 2023 Maui wildfires, Green had proposed putting the cost predominantly on tourists, which then morphed into a wide range of ideas in the Legislature that included annual tourism climate impact “licenses,” charging visitors each time they entered Hawaii’s most popular state sites, trails and beaches, and increasing the transient accommodations tax that both tourists and residents pay when staying in hotels, short-term vacation rentals and Airbnbs on all islands.

The concept died during Green’s first legislative session as governor but took on sudden urgency months later when a wind-whipped wildfire inferno killed 102 people and all but obliterated Lahaina on Aug. 8, 2023.

“We know we have to raise money to mitigate the risk,” Green told the Star-Advertiser last week in his fifth-floor office atop the state Capitol.

Hawaii’s tourism industry continues to push back against increasing fees and taxes for tourists, arguing the extra expenses will discourage visitor arrivals.

The latest version of Senate Bill 1396, the lone surviving bill that would increase the TAT to address climate change, offers no specific increase. In response to opposition from the visitor industry, Green said he wants a “modest” hike of 1% compared to his original hope to raise the TAT 1.7%.

He argued that requiring hotel guests to pay another $5 to $8 per night won’t discourage tourists from visiting Hawaii.

“People will still come,” Green said. “People are still coming in giant droves. I’m meeting the hotel industry halfway.”

He called increasing the TAT to pay for climate change and fire mitigation “necessary” and “a compromise.”

Working to reduce the effects of climate change and prevent wildfires also will lower insurance rates across Hawaii, Green said.

Residents would have to pay the higher TAT because the U.S. Constitution’s “commerce clause” has generally been interpreted as barring states from treating U.S. residents from other states differently.

But based on what he called a typical $300 kama­aina room rate, Green said increasing the TAT would mean Hawaii residents would have to pay an additional $6 per night that he called “a minor cost for a staycation.”

The higher TAT for residents could then possibly be reimbursed through potential tax credits, he said.

More kauhale funding

This year, the governor also proposed dedicating all of the annual estimated $60 million in interest earned on the state’s billion-dollar “rainy day fund” to be dedicated to address climate change and wildfire mitigation.

SB 1395 crossed into the House last week and would divert all of the interest earned from the rainy day fund. It would generate about $60 million annually with another $80 million or so through increasing the TAT — far short of the annual need for $500 million.

But, Green said, “you can still do a lot with $100 million to $200 million” annually to better prepare Hawaii for the next 20 to 30 years.

His ongoing effort to build more tiny home villages, or kauhale, to get homeless people off the street and provide them with services also continues to receive support midway through the session.

The latest version of HB 431 would continue state funding to build more kauhale that Green said provide long-term, cost-efficient housing that also diverts homeless people from expensive ambulance rides and emergency room visits that only result in them returning to homelessness once they’re discharged.

One homeless patient alone used to run up $82,000 a year in health care costs, according to the governor.

Economic realities

Ultimately, how much legislators will have to spend at the end of the legislative session will come down to two unknown variables, particularly how President Donald Trump’s continuing campaign to slash federal spending, programs and employees will affect every state, including Hawaii.

Hawaii relies on federal help to maintain services to island residents and support the work of nonprofit groups. Green said that whatever happens could add up to millions of dollars in lost federal services and funding that Hawaii cannot cover.

The other economic variable came last week when the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism lowered its projections for economic growth, citing the likelihood of federal spending cuts, rising inflation and a sluggish rebound in visitor arrivals that surpassed 10 million just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago.

DBEDT had previously forecast economic growth of 2% for the first four months of this year, but dropped that figure to 1.7%.

The House version of the state budget includes $200 million set aside for unforeseen spending needs that House leaders cannot predict right now.

In a statement to the Star-Advertiser, House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita said, “We must balance our immediate needs with the responsibility to be prepared as much as possible for the uncertainty stemming from turmoil in Washington, D.C. The $200 million allocated in the state budget will not be enough to cover everything, but it will serve as a contingency if we need to pull that lever.”

Another bill pushed by Green would add $30 million to his popular two-year program to pay off student loans for health care workers who remain in Hawaii for at least two years to make it more affordable for them to live here and care for local residents.

In its first two years, the Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program, or HELP, approved 900 applications and has a wait list of 1,200 workers hoping they, too, can receive up to $50,000 in each of two years to pay off their student debts.

Fireworks enforcement

Fireworks-related bills that crossed over and remain alive include the latest version of HB 1483, which includes increased penalties if someone suffers serious injuries or death.

The latest version of another bill, SB 222, would fund another five years of operations for the Illegal Fireworks Task Force, while the latest version of SB 227 would create the Illegal Fireworks Enforcement Division within the Department of Law Enforcement to work with the task force on enforcement.

Under the latest version of SB 1324, new criminal offenses would be created for people who send or receive fireworks by air and distribute them to people who lack permits. It would also increase penalties for fireworks offenses, especially if someone gets injured or killed.

The bills passed out of the Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs chaired by state Sen. Brandon Elefante, who said in a statement that extending the Illegal Fireworks Task Force and creating a new enforcement division “will ensure that our laws are being upheld, and that those who break them face the consequences they deserve. We must continue to prioritize the safety of our people, and these bills are a key part of that commitment.”

Other bills that remain alive would continue the state’s efforts to help struggling and working-class families, among other efforts. These include the latest version of HB 432, which would provide working-class residents with “workforce rental housing” if they earn as much as 140% of the area medium income.

Most affordable housing programs are restricted to people who earn no more than 60% of the area medium income.

A range of needs

The latest version of HB 428 and its Senate companion, SB 1250, are intended to address food shortages in Hawaii that leave one in three households in need of food, meaning 30% of island children grow up in “food insecure” homes, according to the bills.

Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders disproportionately suffer, with more than 40% of those households experiencing food insecurity.

The “Farm to Families” bills would provide state funding for food banks while also giving local farmers a bigger, local market and additional sources of revenue.

In an attempt to expand preschool education across the state, the latest version of HB 429 would fund salaries for preschool teachers and teacher assistants, equipment and other services.

The latest version of HB 433 would provide the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation with funding to help newly released inmates with community-based services to prevent them from becoming homeless and committing future crimes.

Services would address employment, clean and sober housing, substance abuse and mental health, among other issues.

On the subject of campaign financing, the latest version of SB 345 would increase the level of public funding for political candidates who otherwise raise minimal amounts of donations. Proponents argue that politicians’ heavy reliance on campaign donations makes them susceptible to supporting the wishes of donors over their constituents.

SB 345 would raise the level of public funding from $1 for every $1 raised to $2 for every $1 raised.

Failed proposals

Notable bills that appear dead include the latest versions of SB 1613 and HB 1246, which would allow adult recreational use of marijuana.

Also apparently failing to advance are HB 728 and SB 297, which would have let voters decide if they want to approve an amendment to the state Constitution enshrining reproductive rights, proposed in response to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that left the question of abortion rights up to individual states.

Abortions remain legal in Hawaii. Additionally, doctors and other health care workers who perform them on local residents as well as those who arrive from states that ban abortions are immune from prosecution in other states under a bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Green following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson.

Also failing to advance this legislative session is SB 1618, which would have created a Journalistic Ethics Commission attached to the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and a Journalistic Ethics Review Board to consider complaints against journalists, including alleged ethical violations, and issue penalties for violations of an unspecified “Journalistic Code of Ethics.”

SB 1618 was introduced by seven Democratic and one Republican senators, including veteran Democratic state Sens. Donna Kim, Donovan Dela Cruz and Glenn Wakai, a former television journalist.

It died without being scheduled for a hearing in the Senate.

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HOW MAJOR BILLS FARE AT THE CAPITOL

Here is the status of major bills at the halfway point of the 60-day legislative session. The bills that are alive have passed at least one chamber of the Hawaii Legislature. The bills that are failing were not approved by the state House of Representatives or Senate by Thursday’s procedural deadline.

GOVERNMENT

Passing

Naming rights

SB 583 SD 2

Allows the naming rights of any state-owned facility to be leased to any public or private entity. Requires any revenues derived from advertising or marketing in or on any state-owned facility to be deposited into the appropriate special fund of the state agency that owns the facility or into the general fund if no appropriate special fund exists.

Hawaiian language

SB 109 SD 2

Requires that the Hawaiian version of a law be held binding if the law in question was originally drafted in Hawaiian, or if the law was originally drafted in English and if the law was subsequently amended, codified, recodified or reenacted in Hawaiian and meets certain criteria.

Kalaupapa

SB 1432 SD 2

Establishes the Kalaupapa State Historical Area. Authorizes the Department of Health to continue providing services statewide to Hansen’s disease patients living in the community. Requires DOH to include community organizations in the transition planning team.

Bribery

SB 283 SD 1

Establishes heightened penalties for the offense of bribery.

Failing

Lava insurance

HB 20, SB 707

Establishes a Lava Zone Insurance Fund to subsidize the cost of insurance premiums for properties in lava zones 1 and 2 and defines lava zones 1 and 2.

Judicial retirement

SB 175 SD 1

Proposes a constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory retirement age for justices and judges from age 70 to 75.

Foreign ownership

SB 1

Prohibits certain foreign parties from owning, purchasing, or acquiring an interest in agricultural lands. Establishes an Office of Agricultural Intelligence within the Department of Agriculture to investigate claims that land is unlawfully owned by a prohibited foreign party. Requires the Attorney General to undertake enforcement activities.

Marijuana

SB 319

Changes from 1 ounce (28.3 grams) to 30 grams the minimum amount of marijuana that constitutes the offense of promoting a detrimental drug in the second degree. Increases from 3 grams or less to 15 grams or less the amount of marijuana that constitutes the offense of promoting a detrimental drug in the third degree.

SB 1613 SD 1, HB 1246 HD 1

Establishes the Hawaii Cannabis and Hemp Office within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to regulate all aspects of the cannabis plant. Legalizes the personal adult use of cannabis. Establishes taxes on the retail sale of adult-use cannabis and the sale of medical cannabis. Adds new traffic offenses relating to the consumption or possession of marijuana or marijuana concentrate.

Court child care

SB 173 SD 1

Requires the Judiciary to establish a three-year pilot program to provide free child care services to minor children of parties and witnesses who are attending court hearings in the first circuit.

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TAXES

Passing

General excise tax

SB 1043 SD 2

Exempts groceries and nonprescription drugs from the general excise tax.

Cigarette tax

HB 441 HD 2

Raises the cigarette tax to increase proceeds from the tax that fund University of Hawaii Cancer Center research, to offset funding losses due to decreased cigarette sales.

Hotel room tax

SB 1396 SD 3

Increases the state hotel room tax by an unspecified amount possibly to address climate change and support tourism marketing and destination management.

HB 504 HD 2

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, levies a $20-per-night tax on transient accommodation use in exchange for points, miles or other membership and rewards programs to fund natural resources improvement work by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Climate mitigation

SB 1395 SD 2

Redirects interest earned from the state Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund to possibly pay for climate mitigation and resiliency work.

Park and trail fees

SB 439 SD 1

Requires the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt rules to impose user fees on nonresidents visiting state parks and trails selected by the board.

Capital gains

HB 476 HD 1

Increases the capital gains tax rate for individuals, estates and trusts by an unspecified amount and also increases the alternative capital gains tax rate for corporations by an unspecified amount.

Film production credits

SB732 SD 2

Increases state tax credits for film productions in Hawaii.

Interest on tax refunds

SB 430 SD 1

Increases the interest rate for state tax refunds not paid within 90 days to match federal rates ranging from 4.5% to 7%, up from 4%.

Failing

General excise tax

HB 572 HD 1

Exempts food and groceries as well as broad health care-related goods and services from the general excise tax.

Container fee

SB 184, HB109

Doubles the refundable deposit fee for beverage containers from 5 cents to 10 cents.

Wealth tax

SB 313 SD 1, HB 1235

Beginning Jan. 1, 2030, establishes a 1% tax on the net worth of individual taxpayers with assets in the state worth $20 million or more.

Environmental fees

HB 1077 HD 2

Increases the state hotel room tax to fund projects that address climate change impacts and advance economic development and revitalization.

Diapers and cars

HB 1335, SB 1534

Exempts diaper sales from general excise taxes and imposes a GET surcharge on the sale, use of luxury cars.

Conveyance tax

HB 1213

Imposes a 300% conveyance tax rate on residential property sales to buyers who haven’t filed a Hawaii state income tax return within the preceding four years.

Vehicle taxes

HB 263

Exempts full-time college students from paying vehicle weight taxes.

Pet tax break

HB 1267

Provides a general excise tax break to landlords that provide long-term rentals to tenants with a pet as a one-year pilot program.

Tax break for farmers

HB 1417 HD 1

Allows farmers to exclude their first $50,000 of gross income from state income taxes.

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EDUCATION

Passing

Teacher housing

HB 89 HD 3

Establishes a program to provide rent or mortgage subsidies to certain eligible teachers.

School transportation

HB 862 HD 1

Authorizes the use of motor coaches, small buses and vans for school bus services if certain conditions are met.

School supplies

SB 1391 SD 2

Funds the state Department of Education to provide teacher-requested classroom supplies.

Veterans’ diplomas

SB 422

Awards high school diplomas to those who could not graduate due to U.S. military service or wartime disruptions during World War II, the Korean War or Vietnam War.

School meals

HB 424 HD 2

Requires DOE to provide free breakfast and lunch to eligible public school students and reduce meal prices for all students to a portion of meal preparation costs.

SB 789 SD 2

Requires DOE to charge no less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal for each school meal.

Failing

School transportation

HB 861 HD 1, SB 1198

Requires school bus contracts to include standards, performance metrics and accountability to prevent service disruptions.

HB 288 HD 1

Authorizes DOE to use alternative school transportation vehicles and staggered school hours in public schools.

Medical school mandate

SB 101 SD 1, HB 221

Requires graduates of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine who have paid in-state tuition to serve as a Hawaii physician for at least two years, starting with the class of 2029.

Unpaid internships

SB 357, HB 1469

Establishes clear criteria for unpaid student internship programs under state wage laws to ensure students aren’t taken advantage of.

Teacher loans

SB 388

Creates a teacher loan program fund allowing loan forgiveness for teachers who become licensed in Hawaii or commit to teaching for seven years in a public school or charter school.

Teacher retention

HB 265

Creates the Onipa‘a Teacher Bonus Program to reward and retain DOE teachers. Ensures general education teachers in special education classes get the same benefits as special education teachers.

Meal access

SB 1192

Prohibits the denial of a school meal to a student based on the student’s ability to pay. Requires DOE and department schools to certify that all students eligible for certain programs receive free or reduced-price meals. Prohibits a department school from publicly identifying or stigmatizing students. Requires the school to directly inform a parent or guardian regarding a student’s unpaid meal fund account balance.

School start time

SB 63

Requires public elementary, middle and high school classes to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and adjusts bus and meal schedules.

Fetal education

HB 899

Mandates student health and sexuality education programs to cover fetal growth and development.

Health practitioner

HB 842 HD 1, SB 87

Requires the University of Hawaii at Manoa to establish additional permanent mental health practitioner positions.

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ELECTIONS AND LOBBYING

Passing

Campaign contributions

HB 372 HD 1

Prohibits state legislators from soliciting and 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.

HB 371 HD 1

Prohibits state or county grantees, officers and immediate family members of state or county contractors, and officers and immediate family members of state or county grantees from contributing to candidate or noncandidate committees for the duration of the contract.

SB 1202

Allows campaign funds to be used for a candidate’s child care and vital household dependent care costs under certain conditions.

Lobbying

HB 413 HD 1

Clarifies that the regular or special sessions in which lobbyist contributions are prohibited are periods during which both houses of the Legislature are in session.

HB 412 HD1

Establishes certain presumptions regarding lobbying on behalf of private clients and makes certain contracts voidable when entered into in violation of the state lobbying law. Expands the definition of “lobbying” in the state lobbying law to include certain communications with high-level government officials regarding procurement decisions.

Nepotism

SB 1545

Repeals language in the state Code of Ethics that exempts the legislative branch from prohibitions against nepotism in public employment.

Candidate financing

SB 51 SD 1

Establishes a comprehensive system of public financing for candidates seeking election to state and county public offices beginning with 2028 general election year.

SB 345 SD 1

Raises the cap on the maximum amount of matching funds available to candidates for the Hawaii Partial Public Financing Program and increases the matching fund ratio from $1 for each $1 of qualifying contributions raised by a candidate to $2 for each $1 of qualifying contributions.

Election recounts

SB 176 SD1

Prohibits ballots that county clerks initially determine are deficient or need additional time to be corrected or verified from being included in the initial tabulation and increases the minimum threshold required to trigger an automatic recount.

Constitutional amendments

SB 1225

Proposes an amendment to the state Constitution requiring that a majority of all the votes tallied on proposed amendments be a “yes” vote and not include blank, spoiled and over votes in determining whether a majority was reached. Currently, blank, spoiled and over votes are counted as “no” votes.

Failing

Term limits

SB 1594, HB 495

Proposes a constitutional amendment to limit the number of years members may serve in the Legislature to a maximum of 16 years.

Year-round session

SB 1514 SD 1, HB 1425 HD 1

Establishes a temporary working group to study the feasibility of transitioning the Legislature’s regular session from one that meets from mid-January to early May to one that meets on a year-round basis.

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PUBLIC SAFETY

Passing

Fireworks

SB 222 SD 1

Funds another five years of operations for the Illegal Fireworks Task Force.

SB 227 SD 1

Establishes the Illegal Fireworks Enforcement Division within the Department of Law Enforcement to work with the Illegal Fireworks Task Force on enforcement.

SB 1324 SD 2

Amends multiple definitions and penalties for fireworks offenses, including heightened penalties if another person suffers substantial bodily injury, serious bodily injury or death as a result of the fireworks offenses.

HB 1483 HD 1

Amends multiple definitions and penalties for fireworks offenses, including heightened penalties if another person suffers substantial or serious bodily injury or death as a result of the fireworks offenses. Establishes various criminal offenses and penalties.

Ghost guns

HB 392 HD 1

Prohibits the possession, transfer and sale of ghost guns. Establishes mandatory minimum sentencing for use of a ghost gun in the commission of a felony.

Gun restrictions

HB 893 HD 1

Establishes prohibitions on assault rifles, assault shotguns and .50 caliber rifles. Expands the ban on high-capacity detachable magazines.

Sex trafficking

HB 111

Authorizes civil claims to be made against a person, business, business owner or business operator that profits from sexual exploitation or sex trafficking. Extends the statute of limitations for civil claims related to sexual exploitation or sex trafficking to 10 years.

Skateboard helmets

SB 344 SD 1

Requires all skateboard users under the age of 16 to wear a helmet while riding a skateboard.

Moped helmets

SB 30

Requires all moped drivers, regardless of age, to wear a safety helmet when driving a moped.

Electric bicycles

HB 958 HD 2

Requires all bicycles equipped with motors to be operated only with all wheels on the ground at all times, with certain exceptions. Prohibits a person under the age of 16 from operating a Class 3 electric bicycle. 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 at a speed not exceeding 10 miles per hour. Prohibits a person under the age of 18 from operating a bicycle or electric foot scooter without a helmet.

Failing

Stand your ground

HB 851

Clarifies that a person who uses deadly force in self-defense does not have a duty to retreat if they are in their dwelling or on their property unless they are the initial aggressor.

Sex trafficking

HB 896

Provides for a sentence of death or life imprisonment without possibility of parole upon a conviction for sex trafficking. (Hawaii does not have the death penalty.) Makes commercial sexual exploitation a Class A felony.

Leeward evacuation

HB 823

Develops an improvement plan for emergency evacuation routes along the Waianae coast.

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HOUSING

Passing

Local homes

SB 1632 SD 2

Directs the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to explore reserving homes for Hawaii residents in perpetuity through community land trusts.

Building permit deadline

SB 66 SD 2

Requires counties to grant building permits within 60 days under conditions including having a completed application with professional certification stamps.

Kauhale initiative

HB 431 HD 2

Appropriates unspecified funds to develop housing for the homeless under the “kauhale initiative” or the Ohana Zones pilot program.

Ohana Zones

SB 1610 SD 1

Makes permanent the Ohana Zones program to provide temporary housing and services for the homeless with an as-yet-unspecified appropriation, and exempts program projects from general excise taxes.

Home strengthening

HB 1467 HD 2

Provides state grants to strengthen existing homes against wind damage.

Property insurance

SB 1044 SD 2

Attempts to stabilize Hawaii’s residential property insurance market through the Hawaii Property Insurance Association and Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund. Also would establish a program to lend state funds to condominium associations to pay for essential repairs and deferred maintenance.

SB 1575 SD 1

Allows insurers to offer building and hurricane damage insurance for condominium buildings at a lesser rate than the building’s prior surplus lines insurance policy for the same coverage.

Sending homeless home

HB 212 HD 2

Establishes a permanent return-to-home program to return homeless individuals in Hawaii to households of relatives in their home states.

Public housing

SB 65 SD 2

Appropriates unspecified funding for the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to repair or remodel public housing units.

Development density

SB 25 SD 1

Restricts a county from reducing the number of homes that may be built in an area unless an equivalent increase is made in another area.

Kamaaina homes

HB 739 HD 2

Provides funding for a kamaaina homes program in which counties can pay homeowners or home buyers to restrict the use of their property to at least one owner-occupant or tenant who works at a local business 30 hours or more weekly on average, or previously did so but is retired, involuntarily unemployed or disabled.

Failing

Vacant home tax

HB 489, SB 1214

Assesses a special tax that includes 4% of the average annual rental value for homes left vacant for 180 days or more annually.

Kakaako makai

SB 534 SD 1

Allows residential projects on land owned by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs in Kakaako, makai of Ala Moana Boulevard.

Rental housing fund

SB 42

Eliminates a requirement that at least 5% of homes produced with state Rental Housing Revolving Fund financing be for households with incomes at or below 30% of the median income.

Eviction restriction

SB 155

Prohibits residential landlords from terminating tenancies without cause outside of certain exceptions that include demolition of the rental unit.

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CONSUMER PROTECTION

Passing

Landfill siting

SB 438 SD 2

Prohibits construction or modification of waste disposal facilities on land near or above a significant aquifer as determined by the Department of Health in consultation with the Commission on Water Resource Management. Also prohibits such facilities on high-quality agricultural land.

SB 446 SD 2

Prohibits landfills mauka of a boundary between potable and nonpotable water aquifers without first establishing a minimum quarter-mile buffer zone from residential, school or hospital property lines.

Alcohol shipping

HB 108 HD 2

Allows shipment of beer and distilled spirits by licensed manufacturers to Hawaii consumers under rules to be adopted by county liquor commissions or liquor control adjudication boards.

Disposable wipes

HB 918 HD 2

Requires packaging on certain kinds of disposable wipes available for sale in Hawaii to include prominent “do not flush” wording.

Poi labeling

SB 890 SD 2

Requires any product marketed or sold as poi to state on a label whether it is made wholly from ingredients grown in Hawaii or contains ingredients from outside the state.

Ahi labeling

SB 129 SD 2, HB 534 HD 2

Prohibits the retail sale of raw ahi, including poke, without a label identifying the country where the fish was landed.

Hidden fees

SB 1035 SD 2

Prohibits businesses from offering or displaying the price of tickets for live events or short-term lodging without clearly and conspicuously disclosing the maximum total of all fees or charges, excluding government and shipping fees or optional items.

Power outages

SB 1648 SD 1

Establishes requirements for compensating utility customers following a power outage.

Coffee labeling

SB 1276 SD 1, HB 1291 HD 2

Extends the offense of false labeling of Hawaii-grown coffee to include roasted coffee.

Failing

Landfill siting

HB 878 HD 1

Extends the landfill buffer zone from one-half mile to one mile and applies it to state conservation districts and national conservation areas.

Tow trucks

SB 1272 SD 1

Requires tow truck operators to obtain a towing license and have the Department of Transportation regulate towing operations.

Noise pollution

HB470 HD 2

Beginning July 1, 2028, prohibits the sale of any leaf blower, string trimmer or weed whacker that does not meet the ANSI B-175.2 class 1 rating and increases fines for violations.

Tobacco regulation

HB 380 HD 1

Repeals a state law that prevents counties from regulating the sale of cigarettes, vaping devices and other tobacco products.

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HEALTH

Passing

Nicotine products

HB 756 HD 2

Prohibits sale of flavored nico­tine products and nicotine product flavor enhancers.

Homeless care

HB 943 HD 1

Funds the Department of Health to expand crisis programs by creating a treatment center for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness who are dealing with substance abuse or mental health issues.

Needle exchange

SB 1433 SD 2

Changes the Sterile Needle Exchange Program to a needs-based system and allows noninjection drug users to participate. Also modifies liability for participants, staff and law enforcement.

Cannabis license

SB 1064 SD 2

Requires a license from the Department of Health to operate a medical cannabis dispensary or cultivate cannabis and establishes penalties for unlicensed operations.

Feral animals

HB 1389 HD 1

Provides further funds for the feral chicken program and the Department of Health’s Vector Control Branch for a statewide education campaign on feeding feral animals.

HB 980 HD 1

Allows the killing of feral chickens on private land with the landowner’s permission by various means that excludes cockfighting but includes methods consistent with American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines for euthanasia.

Prostitution payments

SB 1312 SD 1

Clarifies that “profits from prostitution” includes money or property received as repayment for prostitution-related debts.

Hepatitis prevention

SB 1431 SD 1

Establishes funds for a hepatitis prevention program within the Department of Health and withdraws the authority given to DOH to provide medication for the treatment of certain newborns.

Failing

Immunization exemptions

HB 1118 HD 2, SB 1437

Prohibits new nonmedical immunization exemptions for school-aged children.

Cannabis ban

HB 71

Prohibits smoking of cannabis, including for medical use.

Gender affirmation

HB 710, SB 1224

Prevents insurers from denying coverage for standard, science-­backed, gender-affirming health care and increases transparency in reviews and denials.

Gender representation

SB 432

Requires publicly held domestic corporations to have gender-­diverse boards of directors.

Student diagnoses

HB 629 HD 1

Expands the scopes of practice for occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech pathologists employed by or contracted with the Department of Education to diagnose students with a medical condition and treat them, thereby streamlining service delivery.

Disease care

HB 910

Creates a rare disease advisory council to improve care and awareness; requires insurance coverage for some medical conditions and mandates annual physical exams for children.

Toxin testing

SB 1154

Requires the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine to establish a disease and environmental toxins testing laboratory.

Records fees

SB 305, HB 248

Sets fees that medical providers could charge for releasing a patient’s records to family, caregivers or representatives, with noncompliance penalties.

Breast milk bank

HB 233, SB 1211

Establishes and funds a state breast milk bank under the Department of Health.

Records software

HB 854

Provides $500,000 in each of the next two fiscal years for the Department of Corrections to buy new software for electronic medical records.