Sen. Troy Hashimoto

Establishes an office of the housing advocate within the office of the governor.

Authorizes counties to establish a program for commissioned volunteer enforcement officers to assist their police department with specified enforcement actions within their traffic division.

Changes the renewal period for driver licenses from every two years to every four years for persons 72 years of age or older.

Establishes freedom of press protections for student journalists producing school-sponsored media or university-sponsored media unless subject to certain exceptions.

Excludes from any waiting list maintained by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands any lessee or successor who sells or transfers their lease on a tract of Hawaiian home lands.

Establishes a road connectivity task force to assess and identify ways of improving road access in rural areas and in subdivisions with substandard roads. Requires a report to the legislature.

Beginning 7/1/2022, establishes an air cargo pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fee, to be assessed on each air carrier delivering air cargo into the State. Establishes the air cargo pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund, to be used solely by the department of agriculture's air cargo inspection program. Increases the inspection, quarantine, and eradication service fee and charge from 75 cents to an unspecified amount for every 1,000 pounds of freight or part thereof brought into the State. Requires the auditor to conduct an analysis on the air cargo pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fee. (HD1)

Clarifies that persons that enter private property for recreational purposes have no cause of action, unless exempted under law. Requires a court to award attorneys' fees and costs to landowners if plaintiffs bring unreasonable claims. States that, as a matter of law, persons participating in outdoor recreational activities accept the inherent dangers in the activities.

Requires public contractors to obtain insurance to cover at least half of a project's construction costs to the State to provide funds for curing construction defects discovered within ten years after the completion of the contract. Authorizes the State to institute an action against the contractor for the total costs of curing those defects. Effective 7/1/2112. (HD1)

Allows boards to use interactive conference technology to remotely conduct public meetings under the sunshine law in conjunction with in-person meetings, even when no emergency has been declared by government authorities. Authorizes boards to exclude the public from nonpublic locations, such as homes, where board members are physically present when remote board meetings are held by interactive conference technology. Establishes requirements for the conduct of remote meetings. Establishes a new notice requirement to provide the board's contact information for the submission of written testimony by electronic or postal mail. Amends existing option to hold in-person meetings at multiple public meeting sites connected by interactive conference technology to require termination of meeting only if audio communication is lost and cannot be reestablished within an hour and the board had not provided reasonable notice of how the meeting would be continued. Allows for additional courtesy sites open to the public for remote and in-person meetings held by interactive conference technology. Allows for contact tracing and social distancing during states of emergency caused by contagious diseases. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)