Sen. Karl Rhoads

Prohibits a landlord from rejecting a rental application solely due to an applicant's inability to provide a recent paycheck. Authorizes the landlord to require the applicant to provide evidence dated within ninety days of the application demonstrating the applicant has sufficient unearned income or liquid assets to cover the rental costs. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution (SR 128) requests Hawaii's Office of Elections to form a working group to study changing the state's automatic voter registration system from an opt-in model (where voters must actively register) to an opt-out model (where voters are automatically registered unless they decline). The working group, including election officials, Honolulu representatives, and advocacy organizations like Common Cause Hawaii and the League of Women Voters, must submit recommendations by January 2026. The resolution aims to improve voter registration convenience and turnout, citing Hawaii's 32.1% voter turnout in the 2024 primary as a key concern. This is a procedural request for analysis, not a law changing voter registration.

Requires the Office of Wellness and Resilience to conduct a study on the cost and feasibility of establishing a program to acquire and forgive medical debt owed by certain households in the State. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 12/31/2050. (HD1)

Appropriates funds to the Department of Education to support public schools impacted by a local investor‑owned electric utility's planned public safety power shutoff program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Expands the ban on pistols with a detachable magazine with over a ten-round capacity to any firearm with a detachable magazine with over a thirty-round capacity. Exempts detachable ammunition magazines with a capacity in excess of thirty rounds that are designed for or capable of use with any firearm other than a pistol obtained before 1/1/2026. Effective 1/1/2026. (SD2)

Beginning 1/1/2027, requires all state agencies to make the full text of their rules available on the website of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in a digitally accessible and searchable format that meets or exceeds certain federal standards. Effective 1/1/2525. (SD1)

Maddy summarySCR 133 is a concurrent resolution requesting the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) to study the ratio of CEO pay to typical worker pay across companies operating in Hawaii. The study must examine this pay gap by industry, assess its economic impact on the state, and identify potential policy options to reduce the disparity. UHERO is required to submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Legislature by April 2026. This resolution does not create new laws but seeks data to inform future policy decisions about pay inequality.

Specifies that election ballots issued by the Chief Election Officer or county clerk shall exclude any candidate who is disqualified by a constitutional or statutory provision. Provides for a process for challenging an inclusion or exclusion of a candidate from a ballot. Includes a candidate's disqualification as grounds for an election contest complaint. Specifies that electors of presidential and vice presidential candidates shall not be individuals who are disqualified by a constitutional or statutory provision.

Establishes a comprehensive system of public financing for all candidates seeking election to state and county public offices in the State of Hawaii, to begin with the 2028 general election year. Requires the Campaign Spending Commission to submit reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD1)

Maddy summarySR 126 is a Senate Resolution requesting the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization to study how taxation and eminent domain could affect housing prices and availability. The study would specifically examine impacts on vacant/surplus housing (properties not used as primary residences or unoccupied >6 months) and institutional investor-owned properties, which contribute to Hawaii's housing crisis. It does not enact new laws but seeks analysis of potential policy tools to address high vacancy rates (14% statewide), out-of-state ownership (20% of homes), and institutional investor impacts on housing affordability. The resolution cites existing data showing housing shortages, high prices, and homelessness as context for the requested study.