Sen. Troy Hashimoto

Establishes a zero-emission vehicle fleet purchasing assistance program within the Hawaii state energy office to support the transition of private fleets to zero-emission vehicles. Designates the Hawaii state energy office as the agency responsible for developing and administering the program and requires the Hawaii state energy office to work with the department of transportation to design strategies to implement the zero-emission vehicle fleet purchasing assistance program. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Requires health insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for medication used for the treatment of obesity or weight loss management for a covered individual who is overweight and has one or more related comorbidities.

Exempts affordable housing and certain qualifying housing development projects from HEPA. Establishes a definition of "program" and "project" to preempt the existing definitions under section 11-200.1-2, Hawaii Administrative Rules, and narrow the existing interpretation that requires analysis of tangentially related projects. Amends the applicability and requirements section of HEPA to clarify when multiple actions must be considered in the same environmental review document for the purposes of project segmentation. Expands the requirement that project opponents must exhaust their administrative remedies as a prerequisite to litigation to apply to environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. Retroactively applies to projects that received approval for their environmental assessment or environmental impact statement on or after August 9, 2019.

Requires the board of education to adopt and the department of education to administer a kindergarten entry assessment in ‘Olelo Hawai‘i for Kaiapuni schools. Delays the administration of the kindergarten entry assessment in ‘Olelo Hawai‘i for Kaiapuni schools to the 2026-2027 school year.

Exempts Hawaiian language immersion program students from kindergarten assessment requirements.

Permits the counties to make district boundary amendments without consideration from the land use commission for certain classifications of land parcels with an area of fifty acres or less.

Appropriates funds to DHS to restore basic adult dental benefits to medicaid enrollees. Requires DHS to obtain the maximum federal matching funds available for this expenditure.

Requires the office of the lieutenant governor to convene a working group to examine the feasibility of establishing and implementing a kauhale pilot program based on specified criteria to provide shelter and other services to homeless individuals in the State and to submit a report of the working group's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature prior to the regular session of 2024.

Establishes licensure for school psychologists consistent with National Association of School Psychologists standards. Clarifies that the exemptions from licensure as a psychologist apply to those persons employed as school psychologists by an educational institution and practicing only within a school setting. Prohibits private practice by school psychologists. Renames the Hawaii teacher standards board the Hawaii teacher standards and school psychologists board; amends the composition of the board to include two school psychologists and requires the board to submit a report to the legislature. Sunsets 7/1/2026.

Exempts from the general excise tax, gross receipts received from the sale of hearing aids.