Prohibits the licensing of an adult residential care home, expanded adult residential care home, or developmental disabilities domiciliary home that is financed, managed, operated, supervised, directed, or owned in whole or in part by a person convicted of a gambling offense.
Establishes a Vacant Homes Special Fund under the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation for rental assistance programs. Establishes a general excise tax surcharge on an owner that allows a residential real property to remain vacant for 180 days or more a year. Requires persons who own residential real property, but do not live there, to obtain a general excise tax license. Requires the counties to disclose to the Department of Taxation a list of properties classified as not being occupied by an owner of that property. Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to calculate average annual rental value for the basis for the surcharge amount.
Requires rental housing projects to maintain, in perpetuity, fifty per cent of the project's units for certain low-income tenants to be eligible for assistance under the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation's rental assistance program.
Maddy summarySB 500 sets clear labeling and advertising rules for coffee grown and processed entirely within the state, directly affecting local coffee producers and businesses selling such products. It defines "regional origin" to specify where coffee beans are sourced and processed, ensuring consumers receive accurate geographic information on labels. The bill requires producers to meet these new labeling standards for coffee sold in the state, replacing vague or inconsistent current practices. This change aims to provide transparency for shoppers about the origin of their coffee while standardizing requirements for in-state producers.
Allows the carrying or possessing of firearm parts only at or between certain locations and in an enclosed container. Defines firearm parts and prohibited persons. Establishes and increases penalties for the carrying or possessing of certain firearms or firearm parts other than at or between specific locations and in an enclosed container. (SD1)
Maddy summarySB 483 appropriates state funds for Hawaii's Department of Human Services to conduct a rate study on Medicaid home health services. The study will examine reimbursement rates paid to home health providers serving Medicaid patients. This bill directly affects home health care agencies and Medicaid beneficiaries in Hawaii by funding an analysis of current payment structures. The measure does not change existing rates but seeks to inform future policy decisions through data collection. (Note: The bill is pending committee review as of February 2025.)
Expands mandatory health insurance coverage for low-dose mammography for occult breast cancer to include any supplemental imaging deemed medically necessary for a patient of any age having an above-average risk for breast cancer as determined by the use of a risk-factor modeling tool. On or before 1/1/2026, expands mandatory health insurance coverage to include additional supplemental imaging for any patient, regardless of age, as deemed medically necessary by the patient's primary care provider. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)
Maddy summarySB 120 amends the responsibilities of the State Building Code Council. The bill's official abstract states it modifies the council's duties but does not specify the exact changes or who would be directly affected. As a procedural bill focused on administrative structure, it does not establish new requirements for building codes or impact specific entities like construction companies or homeowners. The bill is currently pending, having been referred to committees and scheduled for a public hearing in January 2025. No concrete policy changes or key mechanisms are described in the available context.
Establishes a Desalination Planning Task Force to examine the feasibility of, and develop a plan and timeline for, the use desalination as a source of potable water in the State. (SD1)
Prohibits the State or any of its branches, political subdivisions, or agencies or any county from requiring a bachelor's degree as a condition of eligibility for hire to a position in state or county employment. Establishes exemptions.
