Sen. Rosalyn H. Baker

Provides automatic step increases in salaries for each year of satisfactory service completed by educational assistants, public school teachers, and principals and vice principals and increases the amount of time available to teachers for collaboration, preparation, and planning. Appropriates funds for the automatic step increases and increase of time for teachers to collaborate and plan. Appropriates funds for various teacher differentials to help address labor shortages in the areas of special education, hard-to-staff geographic locations, and Hawaiian language immersion programs. Effective 7/1/2050 (HD1)

Provides an appropriation for the department of education to provide twenty-one additional hours of professional development for each teacher per calendar year. Effective 12/25/2040. (HD1)

Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to perform a study to refine rural district policies and make recommendations to facilitate the reclassification of lands from the agricultural district to the rural district. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. (HD1)

Indefinitely extends the deadline for the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation to renegotiate an existing, or issue a new, ground lease for the Front street apartments affordable housing project before the corporation's requirement to initiate condemnation proceedings is triggered. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

Adds a cap for the amount of tax credits for research activities that an eligible taxpayer and the taxpayer's related entities may receive per taxable year. Consolidates the survey and certification requirements for tax credits for research activities. Increases the annual aggregate cap on tax credits for research activities that the department of business, economic development, and tourism may certify. Requires certification of the tax credits for research activities on a first-come, first-served basis to be based on the date that a complete application is received, subject to certain conditions. Effective 10/18/2050. (HD2)

Establishes a reusable utensil pilot project in department of education schools on Molokai. Requires the department of education to submit an interim report and a final report to the legislature on the feasibility of statewide implementation. Appropriates moneys. (HD1)

Establishes a position and appropriates funds for a program named "project reset", which will help offenders secure post-release housing to support their reentry, rehabilitation, and employment. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Requires the department of public safety to develop a pretrial female risk and needs assessments tool and conduct internal female risk and needs assessments to measure female offenders' risk of flight, reoffending, or harm to the community. Requires the pretrial female risk and needs assessment tool to consider factors important to women when considering their risks of reoffending and their treatment needs. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Requires the office of the governor to negotiate the State's fee simple acquisition of the Wahiawa irrigation system on the island of Oahu. Authorizes and appropriates funds for the department of agriculture, agribusiness development corporation, and department of land and natural resources to purchase, repair, and maintain the Wahiawa irrigation system and the associated spillway. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD2)

Makes comprehensive updates to chapter 436E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, regarding acupuncture practitioners to reflect modernized scopes of practice, titles, and licensing and renewal requirements. Beginning with the renewal for the licensing biennium commencing 7/1/2025, requires licensees to obtain thirty hours of continuing education per licensing biennium. Allows the board of acupuncture to issue licenses by reciprocity. Effective 7/1/2060. (HD2)