Sen. Troy Hashimoto

Requires and appropriates moneys for the Public Utilities Commission to establish standards requiring each electric utility company to remove from the rate base a commensurate amount of costs related to fossil fuel resources when adding new or converted renewable electrical energy and renewable energy resources.

Establishes an Advisory Committee convened by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Health to inventory lands owned by the United States government which may be reasonably transferred back to the State and to make recommendations on relevant land conditions and appropriateness of potential transfer. Requires reports to the Legislature.

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 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.

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.

Places oversight of the School Impact Fee Program under the School Facilities Authority Board. Allows the School Facilities Authority Board to dissolve a school impact district without a public hearing.

Requires the Office of Elections to establish three additional voting centers in a county with a population of five hundred thousand or more. Requires a report to the Legislature.

Maddy summarySB 171 expands eligibility for the Hawaii Community College Promise Program scholarships to include all qualified students, not just current residents. It directly affects Hawaii community college students who meet program criteria by making scholarships more broadly available. The bill allocates state funds to cover the increased scholarship costs under this expanded eligibility. This is a policy change that modifies existing financial aid access without altering program requirements for qualification.