Sen. Joy San Buenaventura

Maddy summarySB 570 prohibits Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources from establishing or enforcing bag limits (restrictions on how many goats hunters can take) in public hunting areas. This directly affects the department's regulatory authority and hunters participating in goat hunting within designated public lands. The bill prevents the department from implementing any new or existing rules limiting goat harvests, maintaining current hunting access without numerical restrictions.

Maddy summarySB 1174 allocates funds for one temporary full-time archaeologist position within Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources. The bill provides specific funding to hire an archaeologist to support historic preservation efforts under the department's existing responsibilities. This is a procedural funding measure affecting only the department's staffing, with no broader policy changes or public impact.

Transfers the jurisdiction of the Motor Carrier Law from the Public Utilities Commission to the Department of Transportation. Transfers the jurisdiction of the Water Carrier Act from the Public Utilities Commission to the Department of Transportation. Makes conforming amendments. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2027.

Requires the Department of Transportation or appropriate county department when disposing of a deceased cat or dog from a public roadway to scan the animal for a microchip, record certain information, and report that information to the appropriate county animal services or animal service contractors. Appropriates funds.

Maddy summarySB 1580 requires government properties to fly the honor and remember flag and pride flag alongside the U.S. and Hawaiian flags on specified days. This bill directly affects public buildings and government grounds where flag displays are standard. The key provision mandates the simultaneous display of these additional flags on designated occasions, without altering existing protocols for other flag-related practices. The bill is currently pending committee review with no votes taken.

Requires government entities in the State that issue building permits to implement SolarAPP+ or a functionally equivalent online automated permitting platform that verifies code compliance and issues permits to licensed contractors for solar distributed energy resource systems in real-time by 1/1/2026. Requires government entities in the State that issue building permits in areas served by an investor-owned electric utility to adopt a self-certification process for solar distributed energy resource systems that are not SolarAPP+ compatible.

Requires corporations, organizations, or individuals engaging to commercial transactions or trade practices to clearly and conspicuously notify consumers when the consumer is interacting with an artificial intelligence chatbot or other technology capable of mimicking human behaviors. Authorizes private rights of action. Establishes statutory penalties.

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)

Requires employers in the food service industry to allow their employees an unpaid rest period of 30 consecutive minutes for a certain number of consecutive hours of working time. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Clarifies the process by which the Hawaii Community Development Authority may approve residential development on certain parcels of Kakaako Makai. Raises the building height limit and the maximum floor area ratio on certain parcels in the area. Requires a certain percentage of the residential units developed on certain parcels to be allocated to households at or below a certain income level in perpetuity, with priority given to certain essential workforce in the area. Limits the sale of residential units developed in certain residential developments to prospective owner-occupants. Requires the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to determine a Kakaako Makai association fee to be collected from residents, tenants, and lessees of certain parcels to be deposited into a special account in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Special Fund to fund various services and projects in the Kakaako Makai area. (SD1)