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)
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.
Authorizes the issuance of special number plates to recognize the island of Kahoolawe. Specifies the decal size for all special number organizational plates. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)
Requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services, to develop and establish a social work training program to assist nonviolent incarcerated individuals in the area of social work. Requires progress reports on the program to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.
Appropriates funds for critical repairs, maintenance, demolition, design, and construction for facilities of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Establishes and appropriates funds for positions within the University of Hawaii for the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Reduces the minimum number of years of credited service from ten years to five years qualified Tier 2 employee's retirement system members must have to be eligible for vested benefit status for service retirement allowance purposes. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Maddy summaryHB 148 protects individuals who make claims about sexual misconduct from defamation lawsuits, directly affecting those reporting such incidents and potential defendants. The bill states that a defamation claim cannot succeed unless the person making the claim was proven to have acted with "malice" (knowing it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth). This creates a legal shield for accusers in sexual misconduct cases, preventing lawsuits based solely on the truthfulness of their allegations. The bill remains pending in the 2026 session after being carried over from 2025.
Prohibits the erection, placement, construction, or maintenance of an encampment within one hundred feet from the property line of a pre-K-12 public or private school or school facility on public or private property. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Establishes a process, beginning on January 1, 2026, for automatically preregistering or registering public, charter, and private school-enrolled students who are at least 16 years old to vote.
