Sen. Ron Kouchi

Maddy summarySB 273 establishes a new deferred retirement program specifically for police officers. This bill allows eligible officers to delay their retirement while continuing to serve, deferring their retirement benefits until a later date. The key provision creates a formal option for officers to extend their service without immediately accessing retirement pay, directly affecting current and future police officers in the state. The program aims to provide flexibility for officers who wish to remain on duty longer while managing their retirement benefits.

Prohibits state or county grantees, officers and immediate family members of state or county contractors, and officers and immediate family members of state or county grantees from contributing to candidate or noncandidate committees for the duration of the contract. Requires candidates, candidate committees, or noncandidate committees to return any unlawful contribution to the contributor within 30 calendar days of receipt. Provides that if any unlawful contribution is not returned to the contributor within 30 calendar days, the unlawful contribution shall escheat to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.

Requires newly installed or modified individual wastewater systems that are near the shoreline, or likely to pollute groundwater, to include denitrification capacity.

Removes state of mind requirement pertaining to a victim's age for felony assaults aggravated by the victim's age. Raises the threshold age from 60 years of age or older to 65 years of age or older.

Establishes the Homeless Services Special Fund. Allows counties to apply for matching funds from the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund for certain housing projects. Increases the conveyance tax rates for certain properties. Establishes conveyance tax rates for multifamily residential properties. Establishes new exemptions to the conveyance tax. Allocates collected conveyance taxes to the Affordable Homeownership Revolving Fund, Homeless Services Special Fund and, and Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund. Amends allocations to the Land Conservation Fund and Rental Housing Revolving Fund.

Maddy summarySB 473 allocates state funds for the operating expenses and capital improvement projects (like building repairs or new infrastructure) of the Executive Branch agencies during fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. It directly affects state departments and offices that manage these budgets, such as transportation, health, and public safety agencies. The bill provides the necessary funding to cover routine operations and major capital projects for these two fiscal years, as specified in the official abstract. This is a standard budget appropriation bill, not a policy change affecting the public directly.

Amends the offense of promoting pornography for minors by allowing the prosecution of persons who provide pornographic materials to undercover law enforcement officers who represent themselves as minors for purposes of undercover operations. (CD1)

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to update the state law against tampering with physical evidence by changing its wording to match a standard model used in many other jurisdictions. The change directly affects individuals charged with hiding, altering, or destroying evidence in criminal cases. By adopting the Model Penal Code language, the legislation aims to provide clearer and more consistent definitions for what constitutes a crime in this area. The update does not create new offenses or alter existing penalties but rather refines the legal description of the act.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies how intoxication defenses are handled in criminal cases by explicitly classifying them as affirmative defenses when the intoxication is not self-induced or is due to a pathological condition. Affirmative defenses allow a defendant to admit to the act but argue they should not be held criminally liable because of specific circumstances, shifting the burden of proof to the prosecution. The changes apply to individuals charged with crimes where their state of mind was affected by involuntary intoxication or medical issues rather than voluntary substance use. The legislation is set to expire on July 1, 2034, meaning it will only be in effect for a limited time.

Amends the offense of use of a computer in the commission of a separate crime to include violation of privacy in the first and second degrees. Repeals on 7/1/2027. (CD1)