Authorizes condominium associations and planned community associations located in a zoning district that allows for transient vacation rentals to impose an impact fee on owners or members who use their units as transient vacation rentals. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Maddy summaryHB 1288 would create a Rare Disease Advisory Council within the state Department of Health. The council would provide direct input to the state on the needs of individuals living with rare diseases. Its key mechanism is to advise state health officials on policies and resources affecting rare disease patients. The bill, introduced in January 2025 but not yet enacted, focuses on establishing this advisory body to address gaps in care coordination and support.
Requires all newly constructed single-family residences and apartment buildings located within specified geographic areas to be built to withstand certain categories of hurricanes and to contain residential safe rooms with attached bathrooms. Effective 1/1/2026.
Maddy summaryHB 355 creates a nonrefundable individual income tax credit for homeowners who pay expenses to retrofit their residences with wind-resistant devices, such as storm shutters or reinforced roofs. The credit directly benefits homeowners who make these safety upgrades, reducing the amount of income tax they owe based on their actual retrofit costs. This policy change provides a financial incentive for property improvements designed to enhance resilience against wind damage, without offering cash refunds if the credit exceeds tax liability. The bill remains pending in the 2026 legislative session.
Requires the Department of Human Services to establish and implement a Child Care Provider Subsidy and Bonus Program to provide subsidies to retain the existing child care workforce in licensed infant and toddler child care centers, group child care centers, and group child care homes and bonuses to registered family child care homes. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Establishes a homeless student stability program and homeless student housing resource program within the University of Hawaii. Establishes a minimum of one benefits navigator position at each University of Hawaii System campus and a position within the University of Hawaii System to coordinate campus positions and initiatives. Appropriates funds.
Requires all state agencies proposing, adopting, amending, or repealing a rule to make the full text of the rules of the agency available on the website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in a digitally accessible and searchable format. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Expands workers' compensation medical benefits for firefighters to include coverage for adenocarcinoma or mesothelioma of the respiratory system; cancer of the buccal cavity, colon, pharynx, and thyroid; and malignant melanoma. Specifies that an employer may prove that the cancer or disease was not associated with the firefighting duties to deny medical benefits under workers' compensation law. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Prohibits foreign entities from owning, leasing, or holding a controlling interest in more than an unspecified number of acres of agricultural land. Limits the lease term for agricultural land by foreign entities. Requires foreign entities that own or lease interest in agricultural lands to file an annual report with the Department of Agriculture. Appropriates funds.
Maddy summaryHB 626 allocates state funds to the Hawaii Department of Education for its Hoʻākea Program, effective July 1, 3000. The bill provides budgetary resources to support the program's operations, though specific activities or eligibility details are not outlined in the abstract. It directly affects the Department of Education and the program's designated beneficiaries, such as students or schools participating in the initiative. The legislation focuses solely on funding allocation, without specifying additional requirements or changes to existing policies.
