#Bill 21

The Maui County Council filed a bill Friday that would have authorized the mayor to enter into an interdepartmental agreement allowing the Maui Police Department to respond to alarms at Hawai‘i Army National Guard facilities.

Maui County Council members have given initial approval to Bill 92, which authorizes the mayor to enter into an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for Maui County to participate in a Joint Terrorism Task Force, Honolulu Division. Passed Friday, the measure advances to the full Council for second-and-final reading.

A bill aimed at expediting rebuilding in Lahaina received unanimous initial approval Wednesday from Maui County Council members. Bill 21 passed first reading. It’s set for second reading on March 8.

Bill 21 seeks to broaden the applicability of emergency-repair provisions and clarify the review and approval procedures for emergency-repair permits. Approximately 1,100 residential properties would qualify under the bill’s expedited permitting process.

New lighting solutions designed to help protect native seabirds and sea turtles have been installed at the parking lot managed by Mā‘alaea Triangle Association.

Bill 21 amends Maui County’s lighting ordinance to increase protections for Hawai‘i’s threatened and endangered seabirds and sea turtles by requiring outdoor light fixtures to limit blue light. It will be phased in over three years.

A special webinar takes place on Monday as part of the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Know Your Ocean Speaker Series. Topics include seabirds in Maui County, and an upcoming bill to better protect them.

Councilmember Kelly Takaya King announced today that a revised version of the bill to protect native Hawaiian seabirds from outdoor lighting will be reviewed Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Climate Action, Resilience and Environment Committee.