Sen. Tim Richards

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.

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 statewide goals for solid waste reduction and organic waste diversion. Requires each county to incorporate into its next integrated solid waste management plan revision a plan to reduce all organic waste produced within the county by facilities generating more than a specified amount of organic waste per year in alignment with established state benchmarks. Appropriates funds.

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.

Establishes a pilot program in the Department of Health to provide intensive mobile treatment-type services, e.g., "street psychiatry", to chronically houseless adult individuals suffering from serious brain disorders like schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

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 working group within the Department of Agriculture to develop a plan that creates an educational pathway in the University of Hawaii community college system to equip interested students with the necessary entry level knowledge, skill set, expertise, and advancement potential in the field of meat processing. Require reports to the Legislature.

Maddy summarySB 178 allocates state funds to the Department of Education to establish surfing as an official interscholastic sport in public schools. This would directly enable schools to develop and support surfing programs for students, including equipment, coaching, and competition structures. The bill provides concrete funding for schools to integrate surfing into their athletic offerings under existing interscholastic sports frameworks. (Procedural bill; summary limited to 2 sentences as requested.)

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires the Department of Education to provide free breakfast and lunch to students enrolled in a public school who meet certain requirements. Appropriates funds.