Sen. Henry Aquino

Increases the credit amount and the income eligibility cap thresholds for the income tax credit for low-income household renters by using tax brackets. Provides for inflation increases every three years based on the urban Hawaii consumer price index beginning with taxable years beginning after 12/31/2023. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

Requires the department of education to construct and implement sensory rooms for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in all public schools. Appropriates funds for the planning, design, and construction of the sensory rooms. Appropriates funds for special education teachers to staff the sensory rooms.

Appropriates moneys to the department of labor and industrial relations, office of community services, to restore funding for immigrant resource centers. Effective 12/25/2040. (HD1)

Requires the governor's coordinator on homelessness to collect and maintain a database of private property owners who give prior consent for homeless service providers to enter an owner's private property, for purposes of administering homeless services to a homeless individual located on that private property. Requires a report to the legislature. Exempts homeless service providers from civil liability relating to trespass that may result from the administration of homeless services. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2060. (HD1)

Establishes a working group within the department of accounting and general services to study and recommend to the legislature improvements to the management of the state procurement office and methods of procurement, particularly in the area of natural resource management. Requires a report prior to the convening of the regular session of 2023.

Creates the Hawaii rural mental health corps program and Hawaii rural mental health care provider loan repayment program to encourage psychologists and social workers to serve in counties having a shortage of psychologists and social workers. Makes the department of health responsible for administering the Hawaii rural mental health care provider loan repayment program. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2060. (HD1)

Provides funding for rental or lease of facilities under legislative appropriations and bond authorizations to the state public charter school commission for the design, planning, construction, repair, and maintenance of public charter school improvements. Appropriates general funds for infrastructure costs, rental or lease assistance, and the repair and maintenance of network infrastructure for charter schools. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

Established within the Highways Division of the Department of Transportation a pilot program to maintain areas beneath certain highway bridges. Appropriates moneys.

Prohibits the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is near or above a significant aquifer as determined by the department of health, in consultation with the commission on water resource management. Effective 7/1/2100. (HD1)

Changes the name of the offense of negligent homicide to vehicular homicide. Recategorizes the penalty categories for each of the 3 degrees of the offense to the next highest level of severity. Establishes that a person who has been convicted of vehicular homicide in the first degree shall be sentenced without the possibility of suspension of sentence or probation. Prohibits any prosecutor from dismissing a charge of vehicular homicide in the first degree in exchange for a defendant's agreement to a change of plea on a lesser charge, or for any other reason, unless the charge is not supported by probable cause or cannot be proven at trial. For any prosecution of vehicular homicide in the first degree that alleges that the defendant operated the vehicle while having a concentration of alcohol of .08% or more in the defendant's blood or breath, establishes as an affirmative defense that the concentration was the result of the defendant's consumption of alcohol after the defendant stopped operation of the vehicle.