Rep. Kanani Souza

Requires any person providing doula services for compensation or representing or advertising themselves as a certified doula to register with the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Establishes certain rights for certified doulas, including being present during delivery and in any recovery rooms, if requested by the client. Requires the Director to maintain a link to the registry on the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' website. Effective 1/1/2026.

Prohibits certain covered educational entities and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation facilities from collecting information regarding citizenship or immigration status or allowing officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enter certain facilities, except under specific circumstances.

Maddy summaryHB 149 requires domestic and foreign corporations operating in the state to provide shareholders with annual reports detailing their political spending, including independent expenditures and contributions to candidates or causes. This directly affects all corporations subject to state jurisdiction, mandating transparency about their political activity. The key provision is the requirement for these reports to be shared with shareholders, increasing visibility into corporate political influence. The bill aims to clarify corporate political spending practices without altering campaign finance rules.

Maddy summaryHB 1381 creates a working group within the judiciary to improve legal services for youth in the child welfare system. The group will develop strategies to address gaps in legal representation for young people navigating foster care or other child welfare cases. The bill provides funding to support the working group's operations and meetings. This directly affects youth in the state's child welfare system by aiming to ensure they have better access to legal assistance during critical proceedings.

Requires the Department of Education to develop and implement a climate education, environmental sustainability, and indigenous knowledge into the K-12 curriculum and climate education and environmental sustainability teacher training and professional development programs. Requires the University of Hawaii to develop and implement a series of courses on climate education and environmental sustainability, to be completed by every student prior to the student's graduation, and establish sustainability practices across all university campuses to promote sustainability. Requires the Department of Education and University of Hawaii to conduct annual sustainability audits across their respective campuses to assess the progress of each campus in integrating sustainability into their curriculum and operations.

Authorizes a landlord to petition a district court for a temporary restraining order, permanent restraining order, or injunction to compel a tenant's compliance with section 521-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires the Department of Education to establish a cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator training program for public school students in grades six through twelve as part of existing health or physical education curriculum. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires the establishment of a cardiac emergency response plan in all public elementary, middle, intermediate, and high schools in the State.

Prohibits the Department of Human Services from using any social security income payments, including supplemental income payments it receives on behalf of a child under foster custody of the Department to cover the cost of foster care services. Requires the Department of Human Services to deposit all social security income payments received on behalf of a child under foster custody of the Department into a savings account that shall be made accessible to the child when the child leaves foster care custody.

Maddy summaryHB 59 exempts qualifying disabled veterans from paying county vehicle registration fees, highway beautification fees, and vehicle weight taxes. This policy directly affects disabled veterans who meet specific eligibility criteria set by the bill. The key provision removes these specific fees from their vehicle-related costs, providing direct financial relief. The bill is currently in early committee review stages after being introduced in January 2025.

Establishes new requirements for identifying certain top contributors for election campaign purposes. Prohibits structuring, assisting in structuring, or attempting to structure or assist in structuring any solicitation, contribution, expenditure, disbursement, or other transactions. Establishes additional penalties regarding campaign finance violations. Adds and amends various definitions for purposes of campaign finances. Amends reporting requirements for schedules filed for noncandidate committee reports. Repeals certain required information for noncandidate committees making only independent expenditures for late contribution reports. Expands information required for a noncandidate committee that makes independent expenditures of more than $500. Increases the aggregate amount that triggers when a person is required to file a statement of information. Repeals an authorization for a nonprofit organization operating as a noncandidate committee to use a donation for certain expenditures. Requires certain noncandidate committees to maintain transfer records. Requires certain information to be reported to a noncandidate committee. Repeals the requirement to identify certain top contributors.