Rep. Ikaika Olds

Exempts one six-hour strategic planning retreat of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii per year from open meeting requirements if certain conditions are met. Requires members of the Board of Regents to complete a governance training and attend the training at least once every two years thereafter. Requires the Candidate Advisory Council to ensure that all candidates presented to the Governor for nomination have certain subject matter experience and are not registered lobbyists who have lobbied on matters pertaining to the University of Hawaii. Exempts the financial disclosures of the Board of Regents as mandated by the State Ethics Code from being made public. Requires the Board of Regents, in collaboration with the Candidate Advisory Council, to submit annual reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

PART II: Allows certain extensions of the deadline for cesspool conversions. Establishes a goal for the Department of Health to prioritize the upgrade, conversion, or connection of cesspools that pose the highest risk to human health or the environment. PART III: Authorizes and appropriates funds to the Department of Health to retain qualified consultants as necessary to identify necessary public outreach and education resources and tools and develop a comprehensive public outreach strategy and website to educate property owners and wastewater industry professionals about information and resources regarding the State's cesspool upgrade, conversion, and connection requirements and deadlines. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Requires owners or lessees of real property to maintain their property and establish penalties for failure to do so. Allows for exceptions. Requires DOA to establish rules for the enforcement and collection of fines for violations relating to the proliferation of invasive species. Requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to adopt rules for the enforcement and collection of fines for violations relating to the prevention of wildfires and other public safety hazards. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Expands the definitions of "preceptor" and "volunteer-based supervised clinical training rotation" to improve accessibility for providers to receive income tax credits for acting as preceptors, including removing "primary care" from the criteria to qualify as a preceptor. Adds dietitians, physician assistants, and social workers to the list of preceptors and eligible students. Expands eligibility for the tax credit to include accredited residency programs that require preceptor support. Adds the Director of Health and representatives of residency programs with eligible students to the Preceptor Credit Assurance Committee. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2025. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD2)

Establishes the Health Information Technology Infrastructure Grant Program within the Department of Health, to be administered by the State Health Planning and Development Agency, to support health information technology infrastructure and the implementation of interoperable health information technologies in federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program centers, and Native Hawaiian health centers. Appropriates funds for the grant program. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)

Requires the Department of Human Services to allow a full earned income disregard for individuals with disabilities who are between the ages of sixteen and sixty-four years when determining eligibility for Medicaid. Takes effect upon approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Prohibits a student from using a telecommunication device on school grounds during the instructional day, with certain exceptions. Requires a confiscated telecommunication device to be released only to the student's parent or legal guardian, who has three months to retrieve the device before it is subject to forfeiture. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Maddy summaryHB 2534 would appropriate state funds to the Department of Education to establish robotics as an official interscholastic sport for public high schools. If passed, it would allow schools to form competitive robotics teams under state guidelines, with the Department developing program rules by July 1, 3000. The bill directly affects public high school students and athletic programs by creating a new competitive category. It is currently pending in the Education Committee after passing committee recommendations with amendments.

Declares feral chickens on public lands as a public nuisance and controllable pest in a city with a population of three hundred thousand or more. Prohibits supporting feral chickens on public lands, including by feeding chickens. Prohibits the abandonment of chickens on public lands or on private property without consent. Establishes fines and authorized enforcing agencies. Appropriates funds for the receipt, handling, and humane disposition of feral chickens that have already been caught. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Shortens the period during which certain judicial proceedings involving environmental assessments and environmental impact statements on actions that propose the use of land for, or construction of, affordable housing or clean energy projects must be initiated. Specifies that appeals from environmental courts that involve actions that propose the use of land for, or construction of, affordable housing or clean energy projects meet one of the grounds for transfer to the Supreme Court. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD3)