Sen. Tim Richards

Establishes the Agricultural Enforcement Program within the Department of Law Enforcement. Establishes the Agricultural Enforcement Special Fund. Establishes positions. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD3)

Establishes an Audit Office within the Board of Education to audit operations and expenditures of the Department of Education. Exempts positions within the Audit Office from civil service law. Requires annual reports to the Governor and Director of Finance. Authorizes the Legislature to request a copy of the annual reports. Establishes positions within the Audit Office. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Authorizes a county to reduce the aggregate zoned residential capacity within the county only if the county offsets that reduction by increasing zoned residential capacity elsewhere in the county, such that there is no net loss in residential capacity in the county. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, in consultation with the Insurance Commissioner, to establish and implement a five-year voluntary Nontraditional Workforce Portable Health Care Benefit Plan Pilot Program that offers high deductible health plans or catastrophic health plans to nontraditional workers who are ineligible for health benefits provided by the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or prepaid health care plans under the Prepaid Health Care Act. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Prohibits any law, ordinance, or rule from imposing an inclusionary zoning requirement on housing offered exclusively for sale or rent in perpetuity to buyers or renters who are residents of the State, are owner-occupants or renters, and do not own any other real property. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Maddy summaryThis bill would increase the maximum number of bedrooms that a single individual wastewater system can serve from five to six. The change directly affects homeowners and property owners who rely on private septic or individual wastewater systems for their properties. The provision would take effect on July 1, 3000, allowing larger homes to use existing individual systems without needing to connect to municipal sewer infrastructure. This adjustment modifies current regulations to accommodate larger residential properties while maintaining the individual system framework.

Requires and appropriates funds for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, in collaboration with a county selected by the Department, to develop an artificial intelligence-assisted pre-compliance intake pilot platform, subject to a matching funds requirement for the county. Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop a policy or metric to measure the success of the pilot platform. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution encourages the Hawaii Department of Education to expand Hawaiian language immersion programs in partnership with the Office of Hawaiian Education. It addresses growing demand for these programs by urging the creation of teacher training pathways and the implementation of K-12 instruction across various school districts based on data-driven needs analysis. The resolution is non-binding and serves as a formal recommendation rather than a law, directing state education officials to consider expansion efforts within available funding constraints.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution asks state agencies to strengthen penalties and enforcement for dog attacks on livestock. It directly affects livestock producers in Hawaii who face financial losses when their animals are harmed by uncontrolled dogs. The bill does not create new laws but formally requests the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and the Department of Law Enforcement to review and increase penalties and enforcement measures for these incidents. The resolution is intended to address the economic and emotional impacts livestock producers experience from dog attacks.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Concurrent Resolution requests the Hawaii Department of Education to develop a plan for removing processed meats from school meals by 2032 or replacing them with healthier alternatives. The bill directly affects students and school food service providers by asking for an inventory of current menus, a timeline for transitioning to whole-foods or plant-based options, nutritional standards for replacements, and an analysis of associated costs. It is a procedural request rather than a law, meaning it asks the state agency to create a plan and report back to the Legislature by 2027 without mandating immediate changes.