Rep. Chris Todd

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires the Department of Education to provide free breakfast and lunch to students enrolled in a public school who meet certain requirements. Reduces the amount the Department of Education is authorized to charge for school meals to all students enrolled in department schools to no more than an unspecified portion of the cost of preparing the meals. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Establish a medical education liaison position within the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine to support programs that utilize a team of medical specialists to support primary care providers and other health care professionals through mentorship and guidance. Appropriates funds.

Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, requires the Department of Education to include the teaching of financial literacy in the personal transition plan requirement for each student.

Maddy summaryHB 1444 would change motor vehicle safety inspection requirements from annual to biennial, meaning inspections would be needed every two years instead of yearly. This directly affects vehicle owners who must get inspections to keep their vehicles registered. The key provision is extending the inspection interval, reducing the frequency of required checks. The bill proposes this change to adjust the inspection schedule without altering safety standards.

Requires the Department of Education to authorize and facilitate complex areas or individual public schools to form their own farm to school meal programs through partnerships to meet the local farm to school meal goal of thirty per cent of food served in the school to consist of locally sourced products by 2030. Allows the Department of Education to establish a plant-based meal program no later than the 2026-2027 school year. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Establishes fees that medical providers may charge for requests for a patient's medical records from the patient's family member, caregiver, or representative. Requires medical providers to respond to requests in a timely manner. Establishes penalties.

Requires and appropriates funds to pay salary differentials to English language educators as an incentive to attract and retain these educators. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Establishes the Office of the State Architect within the Department of Accounting and General Services to be headed by the State Architect. Authorizes the State Architect to organize, manage, and oversee the design review of all state construction projects and issue design approvals. Establishes the Design Review Special Fund. Requires the State Architect to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature. Authorizes DAGS to provide centralized design review services for state construction projects and issue design approvals through the State Architect. Exempts state construction projects from county building permit, inspection, and certificate of occupancy requirements, subject to certain conditions. Makes appropriations.

Requires all accident and health or sickness insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations operating in the State to adopt policies, procedures, and criteria for approving or denying requests for prior authorization that are the equivalent to the guidelines for prior authorization established by Medicare.

Requires the Civil Rights Commission to receive and investigate complaints related to acts of discrimination committed by transportation network company drivers against riders with service animals and report the results of its investigation to the Department of Transportation, which shall issue penalties to transportation network companies. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)