Ige Signs Affordable Housing, Health, Fireworks Bills

Governor David Ige signed host of bills into law on Tuesday including one that he says will dedicate millions of dollars to the state’s effort to create more housing that people can afford.

ACT 189 (HB1312) will add $100 million to the Rental Housing Revolving Fund over the next two years. An additional $67 million will be added to the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund via Act 40 for infrastructure and land acquisitions.

“These funds will help the state keep the momentum going. The state’s progress would not be possible without support from the Legislature and the private sector. My administration set a goal of 10,000 new units by 2020. We remain committed to building housing that Hawai‘i families can afford,” said Gov. Ige.

According to the Governor’s office, in the past four years, the state has completed 6,700 units – 60% of them affordable. There are 7,700 additional units in the pipeline, with 80% of them affordable and the vast majority will be rentals.

Governor Ige signs affordable housing, health, fireworks, women’s caucus bills. PC: July 2019 courtesy Office of the Governor.

The governor also signed the following measures in bill signing ceremonies on Tuesday:

Fireworks Bills:

ACT 184 HB497 Relating to Fireworks: Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to update its Report of the Illegal Fireworks Task Force to the Legislature.
ACT 185 HB499 Relating to Fireworks Labeling: Corrects the labeling dimensions for a label affixed to display fireworks from nine inches by nine inches to nine square inches.
ACT 186 HB501 Relating to Fireworks: Clarifies the authorization of the use of fireworks by permit for movie, television, and theatrical productions and for activities for testing, disposal, and destruction of illegal fireworks by law enforcement. Allows the jurisdictional authority to approve the purchase and use of consumer fireworks, aerial devices, display fireworks, or articles pyrotechnic for movie and television productions.

Health Bills:

ACT 180 HB330 Relating to Suicide Prevention: Appropriates moneys for youth suicide early intervention, prevention, and education initiatives.
ACT 181 SB1406 Relating to Health: Requires supervision of physician assistants by physician groups. Permits supervising physicians or groups to establish practice-appropriate record review policies. Establishes continuing education requirements and authorizes audits to enforce compliance. Clarifies provisions relating to forfeiture and reinstatement of a license.
ACT 182 SB804 Relating to Palliative Care: Establishes the culturally competent palliative care pilot program within the Department of Health to promote palliative care, gather health care utilization data, and conduct bidding for at least two pilot programs for home- or community-based palliative care, one of which must be located in a county with less than two hundred thousand residents. Requires reports to the legislature. Establishes an advisory group to oversee implementation of the pilot program. Appropriates funds.
ACT 183 HB1272 Relating to Prescription Drugs: Authorizes pharmacies to accept the return of any prescription drug for disposal via collection receptacles or mail-back programs; prohibits pharmacies from redispensing returned prescription drugs or accepting returned prescription drugs in exchange for cash or credit; requires the pharmacist-in-charge to ensure that only authorized reverse distributors acquire prescription drugs collected via collection receptacles or mail-back programs

Women’s Legislative Caucus Bills:

ACT 175 SB1037 Relating to Domestic Violence: Amends the offense of abuse of family or household member by amending the type of physical abuse that constitutes strangulation to include blocking the nose and mouth or applying pressure to the chest. Clarifies that infliction of a visible bodily injury is not required to establish the offense.
ACT 176 SB1039 Relating to Prostitution: Permits persons convicted of certain prostitution offenses to file a motion to vacate the conviction if the defendant is not convicted of another offense under the Penal Code within three years of the prostitution offense and without regard to the defendant’s status as a victim of trafficking or promoting prostitution.
ACT 177 HB483 Relating to Civil Rights: Effective 1/1/2020, incorporates federal law regarding social groups and youth services organizations, same-sex living facilities, and sex-restricted scholarships and other forms of financial assistance into Act 110, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2018. Extends the deadline for the legislative reference bureau to complete the study requested by Act 110 on existing federal Title IX enforcement practices and procedures on the federal level and in other jurisdictions. Requires the legislative reference bureau to make a report to the legislature no later than 8/1/2019.

Other Bills:

ACT 178 HB710 Relating to Employment Practices: Adds reproductive health decisions to the list of categories that are protected against discriminatory employment practices.
ACT 179 HB1552 Relating to Public Safety: Part I: Establishes the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission. Creates a position for an Oversight Coordinator for the Commission. Extends the sunset date of the Reentry Commission to 1/1/2020. Repeals the Reentry Commission and Corrections Population Management Commission on 1/1/2020 and transfers all rights, powers, functions, and duties of those commissions to the Hawaiʻi Correctional System Oversight Commission. Parts II through IX: Implements certain recommendations of the Criminal Pretrial Task Force convened pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution No. 134, House Draft 1, Regular Session of 2017.
ACT 187 HB1176 Relating to Electric Guns: Authorizes law enforcement officers of the Department of Transportation to use electric guns while performing their duties. Requires law enforcement officers of DOT to be accredited by June 30, 2024, for the use of electric guns.
ACT 188 HB601 Relating to Exemption from Registration Fees: Repeals the requirement that disabled veterans be in receipt of disability retirement pay from the Armed Forces to be exempt from payment of annual motor vehicle registration fees.

In addition – Gov. Ige signed the following bills on June 27, 2019:

ACT 158 SB1525 Relating to Home Care Agencies: Makes permanent the licensure requirements for home care agencies licensed by the Department of Health.
ACT 159 SB1091 Relating to the Department of Transportation: Makes an emergency appropriation to the Department of Transportation to mitigate landslide damages and install rockfall protection structures on the Pali Highway and Honoapiilani Highway.
ACT 160 SB998 Relating to Special Purpose Revenue Bonds for Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; Maui Electric Co, Ltd. and Hawai‘i Electric Light Company, Inc.: Authorizes the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds to assist Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; Maui Electric Company, Limited; and Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Inc., to fund multi-project capital improvement programs and assist utilities serving the general public in providing electric energy.
ACT 161 SB981 Relating to the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board Special Fund: Repeals the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board Special Fund and transfers the remaining balance to the general fund. Amends related HRS sections.
ACT 162 SB398 Relating to Homelessness: Directs the department of human services, in partnership with the state procurement office, to provide training on government procurement and other relevant procedures to nonprofit organizations that offer homeless outreach services or manage homeless housing programs in rural areas of the State. Appropriates funds for the training program.
ACT 163 HB1449 Relating to the Nursing Facility Sustainability Program: Extends the nursing facility sustainability program to 2021. Allows the nursing facility sustainability fee to be used to enhance capitated rates for the purpose of paying quality incentives. Increases the nursing facility sustainability fee limit from 4.0% to 5.5% of net patient service revenue. Increases the per resident daily maximum fee from $13.46 to $20 for each facility, and increases the per resident reduced daily maximum fee from $5.85 to $9 for facilities that meet certain exceptions. Appropriates funds.
ACT 164 HB1455 Relating to the University of Hawai‘i: Appropriates funds for the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College’s International Office.
ACT 165 HB1273 Relating to Health: Creates the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Medicaid Waiver Administrative Claiming Special Fund to capture federal moneys resulting from DOH’s participation in the SSA §1915(c) waiver program. Requires DOH and DHS to work with stakeholders to develop and distribute information about accessing Medicaid services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
ACT 166 HB1068 Relating to Heʻeia State Park: Makes an appropriation for a Heʻeia State Park community-based long-range plan for the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Requires the Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority to consult with various entities in developing the plan.
ACT 167 HB820 Relating to Housing: Requires the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation to study and formulate a plan to implement an ALOHA homes program to provide low-cost, high-density leasehold homes for sale to Hawaiʻi residents on state-owned lands within a one-half mile radius of a public transit station. Appropriates moneys.
ACT 168 HB843 Relating to Hawai‘i Community College: Appropriates funds for one Applied Technical Education position at Hawai‘i Community College.
ACT 169 HB703 Relating to Intoxicating Liquor: Amends the sentencing requirements for OVUII and HOVUII offenses. Amends the threshold for HOVUII offenses. Requires the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to convene a task force to examine and propose legislation that would allow the courts, under certain circumstances, to prohibit a person convicted of OVUII or HOVUII from purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol for a probation period.
ACT 170 HB551 Relating to Cesspools: Extends various reporting deadlines and the sunset date of the cesspool conversion working group established pursuant to Act 132, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2018. Extends the lapse date on appropriations for the comprehensive statewide study of sewage contamination in nearshore marine areas and for research and technical assistance necessary for completion of the comprehensive cesspool conversion plan.
ACT 171 HB420 Relating to Hawaiian Culture: Removes a provision from the Transient Accommodations Tax law designating the Hawaiʻi Convention Center as the location for operation of a Hawaiian Center and the Museum of Hawaiian Music and Dance.
ACT 172 HB398 Relating to the University of Hawai‘i: Amends the composition of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaiʻi and reduces the number of board members from 15 members to 11 members. Specifies terms of holdover board members.
ACT 173 HB1270 Relating to the Hospital Sustainability Program: Extends the hospital sustainability program for two years. Clarifies exemptions from the hospital sustainability fee and increases the allowable aggregate fees to be charged. Appropriates funds out of the hospital sustainability special fund for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.
ACT 174 SB162 Relating to Taxation (Signed July 1): Increases the amount of the rental motor vehicle surcharge tax to $5. Repeals the additional surcharge tax for lessees who do not possess a valid Hawaiʻi driver’s license. Repeals the requirement that $2 of the additional surcharge be deposited into the county subaccount in the state highway fund.