Sen. Chris Lee

Establishes and appropriates funds for a one-year Digital Youth Mental Health Platform Pilot Project that will enable the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Department of Health to develop and make publicly available a digital platform designed to help young people address and manage mental health challenges. Requires a report to the Legislature. (SD1)

Establishes a Zero-Emissions Rideshare Rebate Program to be administered by the Department of Transportation. Establishes a rideshare fee. Establishes the Zero-Emissions Rideshare Subaccount within the Highway Development Special Fund.

Maddy summarySB 2996 prohibits the commercial harvesting of aquatic life (such as fish or marine animals) for sale to aquarium businesses, regardless of how the collection is done. This directly affects commercial aquarium suppliers and businesses that source live marine specimens. The bill's key provision is a complete ban on this specific activity, eliminating exceptions for collection methods. It does not address other environmental protections or commercial fishing. The bill is currently in committee review with a scheduled public hearing.

Requires the Department of Transportation to establish a Clean Vehicle Rebate Program to provide rebates for the purchase or lease of certain new and used zero-emission vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Establishes the Clean Vehicle Special Fund. Requires an annual report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 1/1/2027. (SD1)

Establishes comprehensive reforms to protect children and families from abuse and improve systemic responses. Part I: Establishes the calendar year 2027 as the Year of Resilience, Safety, and Survivor Justice. Part II: Modernizes statutory definitions of harm and child abuse. Part III: Recognizes coercive control as domestic abuse. Part IV: Reforms Family Court procedures to prioritize child safety and prohibit parental alienation theories. Part V: Defines economic abuse and strengthens financial protections, including automatic restraining orders, emergency hearings, forensic accounting authority, and liability for financial institutions. Part VI: Safeguards neurodivergent children and prohibits diagnosis shopping. Part VII: Protects reproductive privacy in custody proceedings. Part VIII: Enhances Child Welfare Services Branch accountability through audits and creation of a Child Welfare Ombudsman. Part IX: Requires automatic protective orders and custody restrictions in cases of severe violence. Part X: Creates a Family Violence Docket with mandatory judicial training and an advisory panel.

Amends repeat offender sentencing provisions to allow sentencing courts, under certain circumstances, to sentence defendants in class C felony cases to probation with appropriate terms and conditions.

Maddy summarySB 2997 removes historic sites and the Waikiki special district from the requirement to conduct environmental assessments under Hawaii Revised Statutes section 343-5. This means projects in these specific areas will no longer need to undergo the standard environmental review process. The bill directly affects developers and local authorities working within Waikiki or historic site zones by simplifying regulatory steps for new projects.

Appropriates funds for the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine to purchase, or to contract with a third party or third parties in the private sector to purchase and operate, a single-room proton therapy system; provided that the system shall be available to all residents of the State.

Maddy summarySB 3212 prohibits the use of detachable ammunition magazines holding more than 50 rounds with most firearms, excluding pistols. This law directly affects gun owners using rifles or shotguns that typically use larger-capacity magazines. The key provision sets a 50-round limit on detachable magazines, with specific exceptions noted in the bill. The bill is currently in committee referral after passing its first reading.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to conduct a proceeding to study and implement the Smart Imports Program. Establishes the Smart Imports Program and requires electric utilities to offer excess electricity to consumers during daylight hours at cost for any legal purpose beginning January 1, 2028. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules and establish penalties.