OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER

THIRTY-SECOND STATE LEGISLATURE

 

COMMITTEE REFERRALS

 

 

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NO. 5

7th LEGISLATIVE DAY-January 29, 2024

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Committee Abbreviations:

 


AGR -  Agriculture & Food Systems

CAI -    Culture, Arts, & International Affairs

CMV -  Corrections, Military, & Veterans

CPC -   Consumer Protection & Commerce

ECD -   Economic Development

EDN -  Education

EEP -   Energy & Environmental Protection

FIN -    Finance

HET -   Higher Education & Technology

HLT -   Health & Homelessness

HSG -   Housing

HUS -   Human Services

JHA -   Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs

LGO -  Labor & Government Operations

LMG -  Legislative Management

TOU -  Tourism

TRN -   Transportation

WAL -  Water & Land


 

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Committee

 

 

RE-REFERRAL

 

HB1516

RELATING TO NUCLEAR ENERGY.

Establishes a nuclear energy commission within the department of business, economic development, and tourism to study the feasibility, risks, and benefits of developing nuclear energy generation facilities in Hawaii.  Requires report to the legislature.

 

EEP, CPC, FIN

HB1549

RELATING TO WILDFIRE RISK AND INSURANCE.

Requires the Insurance Commissioner to conduct a study on wildfire risk and insurance and submit a report regarding the study to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2025.

 

WAL, CPC, FIN

HB1587

RELATING TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Requires the public access room to establish and maintain an outreach and engagement program for primary, secondary, post-secondary, and community education.  Requires the department of education and university of Hawaii to assign appropriate staff to coordinate with the public access room for the outreach and engagement program.  Establishes two full-time equivalent permanent civic education resource teacher positions.  Appropriates funds to the legislative reference bureau for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) position to assist in effectuating this requirement.  Appropriates funds to the department of education for the expansion of civic education in the public schools.

 

EDN/HET, FIN

HB1707

RELATING TO INCOME TAX CREDITS.

Amends the amount of total income tax credits available. Provides the State with alternative marketing opportunities in lieu of a shared-card, end-title screen credit.

 

ECD, FIN

HB1728

RELATING TO CONDOMINIUM 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.

 

CPC, FIN

HB1830

RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH.

Establishes provisional or associate-level licensure requirements for marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and psychologists and authorizes insurance reimbursements in certain circumstances.  Requires psychologist license applicants to possess a doctoral degree and complete certain supervised experience requirements before sitting for the licensing examination.  Authorizes insurance reimbursements for services provided by a supervised social work intern in certain circumstances.  Appropriates funds.  Parts II, III, IV, and V effective 7/1/2026.

 

HLT, CPC, FIN

HB1834

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.

Appropriates funds to increase the department of human services' homeless programs office budget.

 

HLT/HUS, FIN

HB1837

RELATING TO SCHOOL SAFETY.

Requires the Department of Education to grant public access to emergency action plans that do not pose a security risk to students, staff, or guests of school campuses.  Requires each Department school to have a comprehensive school evacuation communication plan for use during emergencies.  Requires the Department of Education to collaborate with the Department of Transportation to assess all Department school campuses to determine if there are sufficient emergency evacuation routes for each campus and report to the Legislature.

 

EDN/WAL, FIN

HB1896

RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.

Prohibits the manufacture, sale, offer for sale, distribution for sale, and distribution for use of any food packaging, food service ware, cosmetic, or personal care product that contains intentionally added perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, with certain exceptions.

 

EEP, CPC

HB1897

RELATING TO SINGLE-USE PLASTICS.

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

 

EEP, CPC

HB1944

RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION.

Authorizes certain types of radiographical coverage and specialist consultations without a treatment plan within the context of workers' compensation coverage for employees with cervical and lumbar spinal injuries, or suspected cervical and lumbar spinal injuries.

 

LGO, CPC, FIN

HB1957

RELATING TO RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.

Narrows the qualifying criteria for research activities tax credits to applicants who are small businesses registered in the State.  Increases the maximum amount of tax credits that can be certified per year.  Extends the sunset date of the research activities tax credit by five years.

 

ECD, FIN

HB2062

RELATING TO JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.

Increases the exemption from attachment or execution for homesteads to $150,000 for heads of family and persons sixty-five years of age or older and to $100,000 for everyone else.

 

JHA, FIN

HB2102

RELATING TO ELECTRIC UTILITIES.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to convene workshops to aid electric utilities in the development and implementation of best practices regarding wildfires.  Requires electric utilities to design and operate in compliance with a risk-based wildfire protection plan.  Establishes a civil penalty for violations.  Requires public utilities to report wildfires caused by or occurring in connection with their operations.  Requires the Public Utilities Commission to investigate certain wildfires.  Prohibits the reports as admissible evidence in any judicial, administrative, or other governmental proceeding.

 

EEP/WAL, CPC, JHA

HB2123

RELATING TO AIR POLLUTION.

Requires the department of health to conduct continuous air quality testing for certain chemicals at waste management facilities.  Appropriates funds.

 

EEP, CPC, FIN

HB2169

RELATING TO HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES.

Prohibits the construction of overhead high-voltage electric transmission lines.  Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to submit to the Public Utilities Commission a report identifying the areas of the State having the highest risk of wildfires.  Requires the Public Utilities Commission to direct certain public utilities to underground all existing overhead high-voltage electric transmission lines.

 

EEP/WAL, CPC, FIN

HB2265

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES.

Establishes and implements the Catastrophic Wildfire Securitization Act, to allow public utilities to securitize rates in order to raise capital that can be used to pay for costs and expenses arising out of catastrophic wildfires.

 

WAL/EEP, CPC/JHA, FIN

HB2280

RELATING TO STUDENT TRANSPORTATION.

Requires Department of Education school bus contracts to include provisions that require contractors to prioritize the use of motor vehicles that do not require those drivers to hold a commercial driver's license.

 

EDN/TRN, JHA

HB2281

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES.

Allows the Public Utilities Commission to convene community outreach workshops to aid electric utilities in the development and implementation of best practices regarding wildfires.  Requires electric utilities to design and operate in compliance with a risk-based wildfire protection plan approved by the Public Utilities Commission.  Shields electric utilities from civil liability for acts taken in accordance with a risk-based wildfire protection plan and failing to act in accordance with an item in the draft plan but removed by the Public Utilities Commission.  Shields the State, Public Utilities Commission, and its agents from liability for actions taken in the performance of their duties with respect to risk-based wildfire protection plans.

 

EEP/WAL, CPC/JHA, FIN

HB2407

RELATING TO WILDFIRE RISK MITIGATION.

Creates a process for electric utilities to develop and submit wildfire protection plans to the Public Utilities Commission for approval and allow the recovery of related costs and expenses through securitization, while avoiding a disproportionate impact on a specific ratepayer or county.

 

WAL/EEP, CPC/JHA, FIN

HB2747

RELATING TO CREATIVE MEDIA.

Establishes the Filmmakers Special Fund.  Requires the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to award grants for film, media, and creative industries intellectual property development projects in Hawaii.  Requires consultation with the Creative Industries Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  Repeals 6/30/2029.  Declares that the appropriation exceeds the state general fund expenditure ceiling for 2024-2025.

 

CAI, ECD, FIN