Hawaiʻi State Senate Adjourns Veto Override Session

The Hawaiʻi State Senate adjourned its veto override session that began on July 6.

In addition to the actions taken on Tuesday, the Senate approved three floor amendments to meet the Governor’s objections in his veto messages for HB54, HB1299 and SB589. The chamber also moved to override the veto for HB53, relating to State Bonds.

Since convening on Tuesday, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature has taken the following actions: 

            6 Veto Overrides: 

• HB53: Relating To State Bonds: Authorizes issuance of general obligation bonds. Makes findings required by Article VII, Section 13, of the Hawaii State Constitution to declare that the issuance of authorized bonds will not cause the debt limit to be exceeded.
• HB862: Relating To State Government: Abolishes the office of aerospace development, aerospace advisory committee, and Hawaiʻi unmanned aerial systems test site advisory board. Transfers administration of the Pacific international space center for exploration systems from DBEDT to the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Transfers the administration of and the budget for the Challenger center Hawaiʻi program from the office of aerospace development to DOE. Decreases transient accommodations tax allocation to the convention center enterprise special fund. Repeals transient accommodation tax allocation to the counties. Authorizes the counties to establish a county transient accommodations tax at a rate not to exceed three per cent. Effective Jan. 1, 2022, repeals the tourism special fund and repeals certain compensation package limits for the president and chief executive officer of HTA. Repeals the HTA’s exemption from the public procurement code. Makes an appropriation for HTA.
• SB263: Relating To Economic Development: Transfers oversight of the “Hawaiʻi Made” program for manufactured products and the “Hawaiʻi Made” trademark to the department of business, economic development, and tourism. Outlines the department of business, economic development, and tourism’s duties and responsibilities for oversight of the “Hawaiʻi Made” program for manufactured products. Appropriates federal funds to the department of business, economic development, and tourism. 
• SB404: Relating To Electioneering Communications: Lowers the monetary threshold that triggers disclosure of electioneering communications. Repeals the requirement that disclosures of electioneering communications occur on the date of any subsequent expenditures. Classifies election advertisements sent by mail at any postal rate as electioneering communications. Exempts communications that are actual expenditures of an organization from being considered electioneering communications. Excludes candidate and candidate committees from the disclosure requirements. Applies beginning with the 2022 primary election.
• SB811: Relating To The Department of Education: Requires the department of education to publish a weekly report on schools that have reported positive COVID-19 cases.
• SB1387: Relating To Microchip Identification: Requires dog and cat owners to microchip their pets. Takes effect Jan. 1, 2022.

            3 Floor Amendments: 

• HB54: Relating To The State Budget: Effective June 30,2021, appropriates moneys for deposit into the emergency and budget reserve fund and makes payments for other post-employment benefits. Appropriates moneys for debt service for fiscal biennium 2021-2023.
• HB1299: Relating To Non-General Funds: Repeals various non-general funds of the Department of Agriculture; Department of Accounting and General Services; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Education; Department of Health; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Human Services; Department of Public Safety; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; University of Hawaiʻi; Department of the Attorney General; and Department of Transportation. Implements recommendations of the auditor. Transfers most unencumbered balances to the credit of the general fund. 
• SB589: Relating To The University of Hawaiʻi:
  • PART I – Establishes the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Research Center in statute as the Cancer Research Center of Hawaiʻi. Requires the Director of the Cancer Research Center to be appointed in accordance with the Board of Regents policy. Requires the Cancer Research Center to be administratively affiliated with the John A. Burns School of Medicine to achieve greater efficiency.
  • PART II – Requires UH to develop a plan for the School of Medicine and Cancer Research Center to achieve greater operational efficiencies. Requires the UH President to submit a progress report to the Legislature before the 2023 regular session.
  • PART III – Extends the sunset of Act 38, SLH 2017, exempting UH’s technology transfer activities from certain provisions of the state ethics code to June 30, 2024. Prohibits technology transfer activities in which UH employees have a conflict of interest. Requires Board of Regents to report employee conflicts to the Legislature.
  • PART IV – Temporarily reenacts provisions of Act 39, SLH 2017, reestablishing UH’s innovation and commercialization initiative program to June 30, 2024. Prohibits program activities in which UH employees have a conflict of interest. Requires UH to report employee conflicts to the Legislature.
  • PART V – Temporarily repeals changes made by Act 42, SLH 2018, allowing the UH president to act as UH’s Chief Procurement Officer for procurement contracts under chapter 103D, HRS, until June 30, 2024. 

“Of the twenty-six bills that were vetoed by the Governor, the House and Senate overrode six vetoed bills,” said Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi (District 8 – Kauaʻi and Niʻihau). “HB1299 and SB589 have been transmitted to the Governor pending his approval.” 

The Governor has until Thursday, July 22 to act on HB1299 and SB589.