Rep. Julie Reyes Oda

Establishes the Educator Student Loan Repayment Program to provide for the repayment of qualified student loans for certain educators in the State. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Maddy summaryHB 2156 would raise the income or transaction thresholds that require businesses to file two specific taxes: the General Excise Tax (applied to most business activities) and the Transient Accommodations Tax (for short-term rentals like hotels or vacation homes). Businesses currently obligated to file below the new, higher thresholds would no longer need to file if their annual activity remains under the increased limit. This change directly affects small businesses and short-term rental operators who currently meet the lower filing requirements. The bill is pending committee referral as of January 2026, with no specific dollar amounts provided in the abstract.

Establishes a two-year-pilot program within the Department of Human Services to provide temporary financial stabilization assistance to families with students identified as experiencing homelessness. Funds the program through the Department of Human Services using allowable Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds. Requires Department of Education Complex Area Community Homeless Concerns Liaison to make approved purchases. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Increases the number of enterprise zones that may be nominated by each county. Authorizes enterprise zone designation for census tracts that contain the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine and the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Allow businesses not established in an enterprise zone to qualify for enterprise zone benefits; provided that they have entered into a binding collaboration or contract with a business that is established in the census tract that contains the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine or the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Protects emergency responders from liability during periods of evacuation. Provides that individuals who wilfully fail to comply with predictive evacuation orders assume the risk and waive liability. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Defines and provides requirements for the use of a portable solar generation device. Provides that electric utility companies are not liable for any damage or injury caused by a portable solar generation device. Requires each portable solar generation device to be registered with the Public Utilities Commission. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish and maintain an online system for registration of portable solar generation devices, at no cost to the customer. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Authorizes registered nurses and qualified state-licensed health care professionals who are participating in a community paramedicine program approved by the Department of Health who are licensed by the State to administer medication as part of an assisted community treatment order's treatment plan to the subject of the order, under certain circumstances. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Prohibits residing in, on, or within fifty feet of a freshwater waterway. Authorizes law enforcement officers to enforce the prohibition. Specifies that violation is a civil violation, not a criminal offense. Establishes procedures for the removal, inventory, storage, and disposal of unattended personal property. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Maddy summaryHB 2362 requires counties to automatically approve building permits for hurricane retrofitting projects when specific safety and structural conditions are met. This directly affects homeowners seeking to strengthen their properties against storms and county permitting offices responsible for processing applications. The key provision eliminates discretionary review for eligible retrofitting work, streamlining approvals to accelerate safety upgrades. The bill aims to reduce delays in making homes more resilient to hurricane damage without altering building codes or adding new requirements.

Establishes a Teacher National Board Certification Incentive Program to incentivize public charter school teachers who achieve national board certification under the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Requires that incentives paid to public charter school teachers under the Teacher National Board Certification Incentive Program established for public charter school teachers and other teacher differentials be paid from funds appropriated to the State Public Charter School Commission, instead of the per-pupil allocation. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)