Sen. Kurt Fevella

Appropriates funds for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop, construct, and support facilities that can accommodate shock aging processes for meat products. Appropriates funds into and out of the Hawaii Agricultural Development Revolving Fund for programmatic funding relating to facilities using shock aging processes for meat products. Authorizes the Agribusiness Development Corporation to contract with existing and future slaughterhouses in the State.

Requires the State or a county to reimburse an officer or employee within thirty calendar days of a request for reimbursement for travel costs that the officer or employee loaned to the State or a county. Requires the State or a county to pay a percentage of interest on the total amount owed to an officer or employee until the loan is fully reimbursed.

Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism's Research and Economic Analysis Division to conduct a comprehensive study to assess the impacts of minimum wage increases on small businesses and the overall economic health of the State. Requires a report to the Legislature. Makes an appropriation.

Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to update the online Wiki Permits service to include locations for which a right-of-entry permit for commercial activity is available via the service. Requires public input prior to the removal of any location from the list of available locations. Requires the Department to refund fees for right-of-entry permits if the permitted location is removed from the list of available locations before the commercial activity occurs.

Establishes a civil cause of action that may be brought by any person, other than an officer or employee of the State or employee of a local governmental entity in the State, for certain violations or aiding or abetting certain violations of the Fireworks Control Law.

Maddy summarySB 570 prohibits the Department of Land and Natural Resources from setting or enforcing daily hunting limits for goats in public hunting areas. This bill directly affects hunters and wildlife management practices by preventing the department from imposing restrictions on goat hunting. The key provision blocks the department from creating new rules about how many goats can be hunted per day in public lands. It does not create new hunting opportunities or change existing regulations, only prevents future rulemaking on goat bag limits. (Procedural bill; summary limited to 2 sentences as required.)

Permits film production on lands that are zoned for agricultural use in counties with a population of less than five hundred thousand and that meet other conditions. Establishes the Agricultural Film Production Land Use Oversight Committee to monitor and enforce compliance with regulations on film permit activities on agricultural zoned lands.

Establishes the hike safe card program and search and rescue special fund to be administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Requires government entities to seek reimbursement for all or a portion of search or rescue expenses when the person or entity knowingly enters state, county, or private property, knowingly enters a hiking trail that is closed to the public, or violates applicable laws, provided that the closure is posted by sign, barricade, or other device that gives reasonable notice of the closure. Exempts persons who possess a hike safe card from search and rescue cost reimbursement, under certain conditions. Requires counties and the State Fire Council to adopt ordinances or rules as necessary to pursue reimbursements. Raises the penalty for criminal trespass from a petty misdemeanor to a misdemeanor. Makes appropriations.

Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to amend the definition of "aquarium purposes", in Hawaii Administrative Rules, to allow a bona fide aquaculture entity or scientific research entity to collect aquatic life without a permit so long as the aquatic life remains in the county in which it was collected while it is alive.

Establishes a teacher loan program revolving fund to encourage individuals to become teachers in hard-to-fill positions of Department of Education schools. Allows a loan to be forgiven for teachers who become a licensed teacher in Hawaii or for teachers who will commit to teach for seven years at a Hawaii public school or public charter school. Appropriates funds.