#Legislature

The governor has until July 9 to issue final vetoes from the list, to sign them into law, or to allow them to become law without his signature.

“These bills address some of the most urgent challenges we’re facing right now in our state,” said Elefante. “We’ve made real progress by passing key legislation on public health, safety in correctional facilities, funding for law enforcement, cracking down on illegal fireworks, improving fire prevention, and supporting our Department of Defense.” 

A bill that would change rules for assessing “historic” buildings in Hawaiʻi has crossed over from the Senate and is being considered by the state House of Representatives. Senate Bill 15 Senate Draft 1 would amend the definition of “historic property” by requiring that a property meets the criteria for inclusion in the Hawai‘i Register […]

The House Committee on Water & Land recommended favorable action Thursday on a bill to give the state Department of Land and Natural Resources more flexibility in responding to repairs and maintenance in state small boat harbors and parks.

Dissatisfied by state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ management of small boating facilities, West and South Maui Sen. Angus McKelvey has drafted a bill to transfer maintenance and operations of Māla wharf in Lahaina and the Kīhei boat ramp to Maui County. Under the bill, the County could set permit fees to generate revenue for the facilities’ upkeep.

The House Committee on Human Services & Homelessness will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday on a proposal to establish a working group to study the issue of people unlawfully occupying private property.

Rebuilding in historic Lahaina town would not require special management area permits, under a bill introduced by West Maui Sen. Angus McKelvey, if the structure was destroyed by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire and planned reconstruction stays within the footprint of structure that stood before the disaster.

A bill encouraging the diversion of food waste from Hawaiʻi landfills has passed first reading in the state House of Representatives and has been referred for review to three committees: Energy & Environmental Protection; Water & Land; and Finance.

A revenue bond with repayment funded by a rental car surcharge is being proposed as a source of funding for building the northern portion of the Lahaina Bypass.

Companion bills in the state House and Senate have been submitted to establish the Maui Wildfires Settlement Trust Fund to pay claims from about 2,200 plaintiffs who’ve filed claims from injuries suffered in the August 2023 disaster.

A bill introduced by 13 representatives in the state House calls for establishing a permanent “Return-to-Home program” with an as yet undetermined amount of funding to return homeless people in Hawaiʻi to their home states.

State lawmakers want a working group to study the problem of people unlawfully occupying private property without the owner’s consent.

In his third State of the State address, Gov. Josh Green took aim this morning at Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living, affordable housing, accessible health care and Maui’s ongoing recovery from the August 2023 wildfires.

A report by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp. says systemic barriers in Hawaiʻi constrain housing production and lie at the root of the state’s housing shortage and residents’ high cost of living.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources would be required to acquire all West Maui water systems through eminent domain and then hold them in trust for the management by Maui County, according to a bill introduced this legislative session.

Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization has submitted its fiscal 2024-2025 annual report to the state Legislature. The report covers the period from Dec. 1, 2023, to Nov. 30, 2024.

Caregivers who provide medical cannabis to qualified patients will be protected from “undue enforcement” under an executive order signed by Gov. Josh Green.

The Hawai‘i Department of Taxation has updated its income tax withholding tables to reflect upcoming changes in a new state law that makes incremental adjustments to the standard deduction amount and income tax brackets beginning tax year 2024, through tax year 2031.

Ocean water quality samples taken from seven sites off the Lahaina burn zone showed no high bacteria levels five months after the Aug. 8 wildfires, according to the 2023 Blue Water Task Force water quality report released by the Surfrider Foundation Hawaiʻi.

House and Senate conferees today approved a final version of HB1900 HD1 SD1, the state budget bill, which includes operating and capital improvement monies to..