Sen. Mike Gabbard

Requires the Hawaii State Energy Office to conduct a statewide environmental assessment for, and subsequently administer, a Geothermal Resources Characterization Program under the direction of the Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resources Center at the University of Hawaii. Appropriates funds.

Allows the counties to amend district boundaries involving land areas greater than fifteen acres without appearing before the Land Use Commission if the affected lands are included in the County General Plan or County Development Plan. Requests the LUC to update the digital state land use district maps and to encourage transit-oriented development that preserves the character of the State's rural areas.

Creates the Aloha Aina Land Trust to rehabilitate and manage lands transferred by the United States military to the State after the leases for those lands expires. Appropriates funds.

Increases the percentages of local agricultural products that certain departments are required to purchase by certain deadlines. Expands annual reporting requirements to include the total spending by certain market channels. Requires certain departments and the University of Hawaii System to include a corrective action plan in their respective reports to the Legislature, should they not meet their benchmarks. Repeals the separate benchmark for the Department of Education that requires thirty per cent of food served in public schools to consist of locally sourced products by 2030. Appropriates funds for the establishment of a farm-to-state liaison position within the Office of the Governor.

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.

Requires the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine to construct, establish, and operate a disease and environmental toxins testing laboratory to test samples submitted by the public for diseases; water, air, and soil quality; and complex testing. Requires a report to the Legislature. Authorizes the Director of Finance to issue general obligation bonds. Appropriates funds.

Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to conduct an integrated land use study for the use of lands within the agricultural districts and submit interim and final reports to the Legislature.

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 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 any hospital with an operating room licensed by the Department of Health to adopt and implement policies to prevent exposure to surgical smoke.