Rep. Lisa Marten

Maddy summaryHCR 25 is a House Concurrent Resolution requesting the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to add a new section to the existing State of Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form. This section would require travelers completing the form (such as visitors arriving with plants or animals) to acknowledge awareness of laws protecting Native Hawaiian cultural sites, burial grounds, and places of worship. The form would ask travelers to confirm they understand these laws, know how to learn more about them, and commit to following them. The resolution does not create new laws but seeks to use an existing travel form as an educational tool for visitors.

Maddy summaryThis concurrent resolution requests Hawaii's Department of Human Services to continue using aina-based learning programs for youth in the juvenile justice system. Aina-based learning connects youth to Hawaiian cultural practices through land, ocean, and nature-based activities, addressing gaps in current community service that lack cultural relevance. The resolution specifically asks the advisory council to maintain these programs and create a list of qualified organizations for courts to assign as community service. It directly affects youth in Hawaii's juvenile justice system, particularly Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and African American youth who face disproportionate impacts from traditional court fees and fines.

Maddy summaryHCR 146 is a resolution requesting Hawaii's Department of Human Services to apply for and implement the Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) for SNAP benefits. It would streamline SNAP enrollment for low-income seniors aged 60+ by waiving recertification interviews, extending benefit periods to 36 months, and simplifying application processes. Currently, Hawaii does not participate in ESAP, which directly affects over 130,000 SNAP recipients, primarily seniors with no earned income. The resolution asks the Department to seek federal approvals and adjust state rules to enable this program. This is a procedural request, not a binding law, aimed at reducing barriers to food assistance for vulnerable older adults.

Requires the design of all new state building construction where parking is to be included to provide that a number of the parking stalls, as determined by the Department of Accounting and General Services, shall be electric vehicle charger-ready. Requires the Hawaii State Energy Office, in consultation with the Department of Accounting and General Services and Department of Transportation, to conduct a survey and identify certain high-priority state facilities. Establishes a goal of the State to retrofit state facilities to be electric vehicle charger-ready. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD2)

Allows a retirant to be employed without reenrollment in the Employees' Retirement System and without loss or interruption of benefits under the System or the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund if the retirant is employed in a position needed for succession planning, as a law enforcement officer stationed at a public school as a resource officer, as an investigator, or in a management position excluded from collective bargaining, subject to certain conditions. Requires the director of human resources of the appropriate state jurisdiction or the human resources management chief executive of each county to include in their annual reports to the Legislature details on the employment of retirants as school resource officers or investigators. (SD2)

Allows authorized employees of the Department of Law Enforcement, in addition to county police departments, to perform certain actions in reviewing recorded images produced by automated speed enforcement systems. Appropriates funds from the State Highway Fund to the Department of Transportation to establish and implement the Automated Speed Enforcement Systems Program. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Beginning 7/1/2026 for lodging establishments with more than fifty sleeping room accommodations, and beginning 1/1/2028 for lodging establishments with fifty or fewer sleeping room accommodations, prohibits the provision of personal care products in small plastic containers within sleeping room accommodations, any space within sleeping room accommodations, or bathrooms used by the public or guests. Establishes civil penalties. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)

Appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to collaborate with contracted community-based organizations to address the need for social services in the State. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)

Establishes the Mixed-Income Subaccount within the Rental Housing Revolving Fund to prioritize development of workforce rental and for-sale housing projects for qualified residents. Requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to adopt administrative rules. Appropriates moneys. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

Allows digitized identification cards to be accepted as a valid form of identification, under certain conditions. Authorizes state and county law enforcement agencies to accept a digitized identification card as proof of a person's identity beginning 7/1/2027. Effective 7/1/2077. (SD2)