Sen. Michelle Kidani

Exempts career and technical education goods and services purchases by the Department of Education from the State Procurement Code. Requires the Department of Education to acquire three written quotes for career and technical education purchases that exceed $100,000. Requires awards of over $2,500 for career and technical education purchases to comply with certain statutory provisions regarding offerors. Requires awards of over $500,000 for career and technical education purchases to be approved by the Superintendent of Education. Repeals 7/1/2027. (CD1)

Repeals the provision that made references to the base amount in the Internal Revenue Code inapplicable to the research activities tax credit and allowed credits for all qualified research expenses to be taken without regard to previous years' expenses. Narrows the qualifying criteria for research activities tax credits to applicants who are small businesses registered in the State. Extends the sunset date of the research activities tax credit to 12/31/2029. (CD1)

Requires the Hawaiʻi Labor Relations Board to adopt rules establishing criteria and procedures for the creation of new bargaining units. Requires certain employees or any employer or exclusive representative proposing a new bargaining unit to submit an application to the Board. Allows certain employees or any employer or exclusive representative to petition the Board to determine the appropriateness of a new bargaining unit. Requires the Board to consider certain criteria in determining the appropriateness of a new bargaining unit. Requires the Board to, upon its approval of the application, submit a report to the Legislature, including proposed legislation to create the new bargaining unit, accompanied by a decision and order issued by the Board. Makes an appropriation. Repeals 7/1/2027. (CD1)

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow the Hawaiʻi Labor Relations Board to accept and consider hearsay evidence during its proceedings. Hearsay refers to statements made by people who are not present in court, which are currently often excluded in legal settings. The change would directly affect labor disputes by giving the Board more flexibility in reviewing testimony and documents. This procedural update aims to streamline the evidence-gathering process for cases involving workers and employers.

Establishes a Business Revitalization Task Force within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to identify methods to improve Hawaiʻi's general economic competitiveness and business climate, including the mitigation of regulatory and tax burdens. Requires a report to the Legislature. (CD1)

Establishes a Silver Alert Program within the Department of Law Enforcement to help locate and safeguard missing persons who are sixty-five years of age or older, cognitively impaired, or developmentally disabled. Appropriates funds. (CD1)

Imposes a fine on any private landowner that fails to disclose or record with the Bureau of Conveyances, or in documents used to offer real property for sale, the existence of burial or archaeological sites on their property that the landowner knew or should have known of. Requires fines collected to be deposited into the Hawaiʻi Historic Preservation Special Fund. (CD1)

Requires the Department of Health to include in its annual report regarding Kalaupapa Settlement details and updated information, as available, regarding the permanent transfer to other governmental or qualified non-governmental entities of the powers and duties of the Department over Kalaupapa Settlement. Requires the Department of Health to report on its community engagement efforts with community stakeholders and the Molokai community. Sunsets on the first 6/30 after the Revisor of Statutes receives a written gubernatorial proclamation that the referenced transfer is complete. (CD1)

Repeals the sunset date for the exemption of laboratory school programs of the Hawaiian language college at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo from state English-medium standards, assessments, performance ratings, staff qualifications, and staff training requirements. (CD1)

Maddy summaryThis bill allows pharmacies outside the state to send prescription details to local pharmacies when a patient first fills a prescription written in another state. The main change is to authorize the transfer of information for the initial fill of out-of-state prescriptions, which currently may be restricted. This update directly affects patients who have prescriptions from other states and the pharmacies that dispense them. The legislation aims to streamline the process for handling these cross-state prescriptions by permitting the necessary data exchange.