Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa

For taxable years beginning 1/1/2026, establishes a tiered nonrefundable tax credit for qualified taxpayer insurers that offer one or more federally qualified health savings account‑eligible high deductible health plans in the State, under certain conditions, and increasing the tax credit to incentivize more plans being written in rural medically underserved areas of the State. Requires qualified taxpayer insurers to match up to a certain amount of a policyholder's first-time contribution into a health savings account. Sunsets 12/31/2030.

Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, in consultation with the Insurance Commissioner, to establish and implement a five-year voluntary Nontraditional Workforce Portable Health Care Benefit Plan Pilot Program that offers high deductible health plans or catastrophic health plans to nontraditional workers who are ineligible for health benefits provided by the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or prepaid health care plans under the Prepaid Health Care Act. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Establishes the Supportive Housing Special Fund. Restructures the conveyance tax to a marginal rate system and adjusts the tax for multifamily properties to reflect value on a per-unit basis. Allocates revenues from conveyance tax collections to the Supportive Housing Special Fund. Allocates a portion of conveyance tax collections to the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund to fund infrastructure programs in county-designated transit-oriented development areas that meet minimum standards of transit-supportive density. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Authorizes a county planning commission, by special permit, to permit land uses exclusively providing residential housing for purposes of agricultural workforce housing, long-term rental, or workforce fee simple ownership in an agricultural district, under certain conditions. Repeals 6/30/2035. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Maddy summaryHB 1278 appropriates state funds for assessing and removing hazardous trees on Hawaii's state lands. It directly affects state property managers and public safety officials responsible for maintaining these areas. The bill's key provision is authorizing financial resources specifically for tree hazard evaluation and removal operations. The law becomes effective on July 1, 3000, as stated in the official abstract.

Establishes statewide, uniform standards to promote agricultural tourism activities in the State for all counties that have adopted an agricultural tourism ordinance. Requires agricultural tourism activities to be registered by the county planning department. Requires agricultural tourism activities to coexist with an agricultural activity on a farming operation and requires termination of the agricultural tourism activities upon cessation of the agricultural activity, except under certain circumstances. Makes conforming amendments. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Establishes a Plant-based Building Materials Working Group to study and report on how best to grow plants and develop plant-based building materials in Hawaii. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Establishes the Ombudsman's Office for Homeowners Insurance within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Establishes the Ombudsman's Office for Homeowners Insurance Special Fund. Appropriates funds.

Requires the department of education to prohibit electronic telecommunication device usage during the instructional day and implement a social media and artificial intelligence literacy education campaign. Creates exemptions for students requiring accommodations, emergency situations, and teacher authorizations. Requires the department of education to submit a report three years after the initial effective date, and then every five years thereafter.

Establishes comprehensive reforms to protect children and families from abuse and improve systemic responses. Part I: Establishes the calendar year 2027 as the Year of Resilience, Safety, and Survivor Justice. Part II: Modernizes statutory definitions of harm and child abuse. Part III: Recognizes coercive control as domestic abuse. Part IV: Reforms Family Court procedures to prioritize child safety and prohibit parental alienation theories. Part V: Defines economic abuse and strengthens financial protections, including automatic restraining orders, emergency hearings, forensic accounting authority, and liability for financial institutions. Part VI: Safeguards neurodivergent children and prohibits diagnosis shopping. Part VII: Protects reproductive privacy in custody proceedings. Part VIII: Enhances Child Welfare Services Branch accountability through audits and creation of a Child Welfare Ombudsman. Part IX: Requires automatic protective orders and custody restrictions in cases of severe violence. Part X: Creates a Family Violence Docket with mandatory judicial training and an advisory panel.