Gov. Green highlights some of 253 bills signed into law

Gov. Josh Green held a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol to detail some of the 253 bills he signed out of 260 bills passed during the 2024 legislative session.

During the 2024 Legislative Session, the Green administration advocated for funding to address the aftermath of the August 2023 Maui wildfires, short-term vacation rental regulation, increased cost of living, a shortage of affordable housing, public safety, environmental protection, homelessness and good government.

“Despite the high costs of recovery, we’ve balanced the budget and reformed our tax system to put more hard-earned income in the pockets of our residents. I look forward to building on the incredible successes of this past session,” Green said. “While this past session was not without its challenges, my administration worked closely with the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to support major priorities for our residents, including providing generational reform through the Green Affordability Plan and funding unprecedented wildfire recovery efforts, while maintaining our state’s fiscal strength and investments in housing, health care, the environment, and education.”

On July 5, in response to the 2023 Maui wildfires, Governor Green signed legislation for fire safety and disaster resilience, including legislation that would create the Office of the State Fire Marshal to enhance fire safety and prevention across Hawaiʻi and establish an Illegal Fireworks Task Force to improve public safety.

These enacted laws represent the governor’s commitments and investments to achieving The Hawaiʻi We Deserve, the Green Administration’s comprehensive policy agenda aimed at tackling the key issues faced by the state of Hawaiʻi.

On July 9, the governor signed House Bill 1800, the supplemental budget act which appropriates $19.1 billion across all means of financing, including more than $10.3 billion in general funds for operating support for fiscal year 2025. For capital improvement projects, $4.5 billion is appropriated across all means of financing, including $1.4 billion in general obligation bond funds for construction projects statewide.

Green enacted line-item budget reductions totaling $74.2 million for operating in general funds for fiscal year 2025. No cuts to social services were considered or included in the line-item reductions. After these modest operating reductions, every program has a base level of general funds for fiscal year 2025 that is greater than those in previous supplemental years. These line-item reductions represent less than 1% of the total state budget.

Green also enacted line-item budget reductions totaling $79.5 million for capital improvement projects in general funds for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

On June 3, the governor signed House Bill 2404, providing tax relief to Hawaiʻi’s working families. “The largest income tax cut for working families in the state’s history, this legislation increases the standard deduction, which benefits low- and medium-income households and amends the tax brackets by eliminating the lowest brackets and lowering the tax rates for all brackets,” according to the Governor’s Office.

The Green Administration said it studied the impacts of all the tax proposals under consideration in the Legislature, including the Child Care Tax Credit advocated by the Progressive caucus. “Research by the Department of Taxation showed that this tax cut was, by far, the most effective and significant policy approach to support working families,” the Governor’s Office said. “The tax cut provides 10 times more benefits to working families than the childcare tax credit, amounting to a 71% decrease in income tax by 2031.”

On May 3, the governor signed Senate Bill 2919, which clarifies the counties’ authority to control the time, place, manner and duration of land uses, particularly transient accommodations including short-term rentals. The measure expands the counties’ zoning powers and broadens the scope of the transient accommodations tax law.