Rep. Kanani Souza

Appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services to issue supplemental contracts to community-based organizations to address increases in costs related to labor, insurance, utilities, rent, and gas. For any multi-year contracts entered into or renewed beginning in fiscal year 2027-2028, requires the Department of Human Services to issue a Request for Information to determine whether any existing contract remains fiscally sound and thereafter determine, with the consent of the contractor, whether a new request for proposals should be issued. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Temporarily reestablishes the Coffee Berry Borer and Coffee Leaf Rust Pesticide Subsidy Program and the program manager position, including the position's civil service and collective bargaining laws exemption. Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds for the operation and implementation of the Pesticide Subsidy Program. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Establishes a four-year pilot program to improve the speed, accountability, and quality of permit processing through targeted staffing, performance incentives, and interdepartmental competition within participating counties. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Establishes and appropriates funds for a one-year Digital Youth Mental Health Platform Pilot Project that will enable the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Department of Health to develop and make publicly available a digital platform designed to help young people address and manage mental health challenges. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Creates a School Psychologists Working Group within the Department of Education to recommend actionable steps or propose legislation for an immediate pathway to licensure for school psychologists that can be acted upon in 2027. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Amends the process for the hiring of the Executive Director of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee. Specifies that the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources is responsible for the appointment, oversight, and administrative authority over the Executive Director of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee. Requires any formal position, recommendation, or advisory action of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee to be adopted at a duly noticed public meeting at which a quorum is present. Amends the reporting requirements of the Aha Moku Advisory Committee. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

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)

Allows an existing cesspool that lawfully serves a single dwelling or dwelling unit in a priority level 3 area to continue serving that dwelling or dwelling unit and additional bedrooms constructed on the same parcel and within the existing dwelling or dwelling unit, subject to certain conditions. Authorizes the Department of Health to adopt rules and restrict additional bedrooms where evidence demonstrates that continued cesspool use impacts water quality or human health. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

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)

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)