Authorizes deaf motor vehicle owners to register their vehicle as being owned by a deaf individual so that a deafness designation appears when a law enforcement officer accesses the motor vehicle's information. Effective 1/1/2027. (CD1)
Authorizes the Department of Education to award a high school diploma to qualified persons who did not receive a high school diploma as a result of compulsory or voluntary induction into the armed services of the United States or whose high school education was interrupted due to wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. (HD2)
Makes it an unfair or deceptive act or practice for businesses to: advertise, display, or offer the price of live-ticket events or short-term lodging without clearly and conspicuously disclosing the total price; and misrepresent any fees or charges in any offer, display, or advertisement for the sale of live‑event tickets or short-term lodging. Specifies that any advertisement, display, or offer of short-term lodging or live-event tickets in compliance with the federal Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees are in compliance with this Act. (CD1)
Requires homeowners insurance producers to notify policyholders that they may submit information regarding improvements made to the insured residential property, which shall then be submitted to the homeowners insurer. Requires homeowners insurers to reevaluate the replacement cost estimate based on the information submitted by a policyholder, and offer the policyholder the option to purchase additional coverage to cover the full amount of the replacement cost estimate. Establishes administrative penalties for violations. Effective 1/1/2027. (CD1)
Maddy summarySB 2175 prohibits the sale, offering for sale, or distribution of certain disposable electronic smoking devices beginning January 1, 2027. This law directly affects retailers who sell these devices and consumers who purchase them. The key provision sets a specific date (January 1, 2027) for the ban to take effect. The bill focuses on restricting the availability of these devices through a clear sales prohibition.
Amends the definition of "eligible business activity" for the purposes of the Enterprise Zone Program to include certain retail sales of tangible personal property; processing of certain value-added agricultural products; research development, sale, or production of all types of medical products and medical and health care services; activities of the Hawaii Food and Product Innovation Network; the provision of certain professional services by health care professionals; aerospace research and development activities; and information technology design and production services. Authorizes the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to declare up to two census tracts on state land that contain an innovation enterprise to be designated as an enterprise zone, subject to the Governor's approval and notwithstanding certain conditions. Requires DBEDT to conduct a comprehensive review, in consultation with the Department of Taxation, of the State Enterprise Zones Program and to submit a report to the Legislature. For taxable years beginning after 12/31/2026, extends the eligibility period of the state business tax credit for qualified businesses within state enterprise zones. Beginning 1/1/2028, extends the eligibility period of the general excise tax exemption for qualified businesses within state enterprise zones. Applies to qualified businesses who join the Enterprise Zone Program on or after 7/1/2026. (CD1)
Amends the Motion Picture, Digital Media, and Film Production Income Tax Credit (tax credit) by, beginning for costs incurred after 12/31/2025, providing an additional credit to qualified productions with a workforce of at least eighty percent local hires; requiring each taxpayer claiming the tax credit to submit an independent third-party certification verifying certain information to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; increasing the per-production cap amount to $20,000,000 and excluding qualified productions that incur at least $60,000,000 of qualified production costs from the per-production cap amount; changing the aggregate cap amount to $60,000,000; providing that, beginning for costs incurred after 12/31/2023, if the total amount of tax credits claimed in a year is less than the aggregate cap amount, the cap for the subsequent year shall be increased by the unclaimed amount; defining "streaming platform" and amending the definition of "qualified production" to include certain streaming productions; and extending the sunset date of the tax credit to 1/1/2038. Exempts from the general excise tax certain amounts received by a motion picture project employer from a client company that represent reimbursements for costs paid or incurred by the client company for reasonable employment-related costs of motion picture project workers or loan-out companies. (CD1)
Updates and establishes additional statewide goals for solid waste stream and organic waste stream diversion. Requires the recycling, bioconversion, and organic waste diversion component to identify and assess methods to achieve certain organic waste stream reduction goals. (CD1)
Maddy summarySB 3238 establishes a language access education and workforce development program at the University of Hawaii to train professionals in providing language services. It appropriates state funds to support this program, which directly affects communities with limited English proficiency and government agencies needing interpreters or translators. The key mechanism is creating a dedicated training initiative at UH to build a skilled workforce for language access services. This bill focuses on concrete policy changes by funding workforce development rather than altering existing services or regulations.
Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to convene a Bona Fide Farmer Working Group to develop multi-tiered, matrix-based definitions for the terms "bona fide farmer" and "bona fide agricultural activity". Requires a report to the Legislature. (CD1)
