Bills of Interest for FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2008

Committee on Health/Committee on Human Services & Housing, Room 329, 8:00 a.m.

HB2520 RELATING TO CAREGIVERS. Amends the temporary disability insurance law to permit an eligible employee to collect up to 4 weeks of temporary disability insurance benefit payments to care for a family member with a qualifying disability. (Lee)

HB2224 RELATING TO INSURANCE. Requires insurers that offer the same coverage to part-time employees working at least 15 hours per week; insurance commissioner to report on cost-benefit to the 2010 legislature. Sunsets July 1, 2010. (Say)

HB2675 RELATING TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA. Authorizes the use of a written certification or its equivalent issued by another state government to permit the medical use of marijuana by a qualifying patient in place of a certificate provide by the Department of Public Safety. (Bertram)

HB2678 RELATING TO MARIJUANA. Authorizes the establishment of a secure growing facility for the production of medical marijuana for not more than fourteen qualified patients. (Bertram)

Committee on Finance, Room 308, 1:30 p.m.

INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING – Current and future outlook of the tourism industry in Hawaii. Presenters: Rex Johnson, President and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; David Uchiyama, Vice President of Marketing of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; John Monahan, President and CEO of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau; Joe Davis, General Manager of the Hawaii Convention Center.

Committee on Education, Room 309, 2:15 p.m.

HB2993 RELATING TO SCHOOL NUTRITION. Establishes nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in public schools. Requires DOE to develop nutrition education training requirements for food service managers in the public schools. Requires DOE to encourage schools to provide culturally-appropriate and standards-based nutrition education and farm-to-table nutrition education. (Bertram)

Committee on Education, Room 309, 3:00 p.m.

DECISION MAKING ONLY on HB2973 – RELATING TO EARLY LEARNING. Creates the Early Learning Council to govern the state's early learning system. Establishes an early learning system. Establishes the Keiki First Steps Program.

Committee on Judiciary, Room 325, 4:00 p.m.

HB2034 RELATING TO UNATTENDED CHILDREN IN MOTOR VEHICLES. Makes it a violation of the statewide traffic code to leave a child unattended in a motor vehicle. Requires the examiner of drivers to test driver's license applicants for knowledge of this offense. Requires notice of law in rental cars. (Lee)

3 CON AM'S

HB3042 PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVI OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII. Amends Hawaii Constitution so a criminal case witness who asserts self-incrimination privilege may be compelled to testify/provide evidence as long as the testimony/evidence cannot later be used against the witness on a criminal case except for perjury, false statement, or failure to comply with the order to testify. (Governor)

HB3044 PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII RELATING TO TESTIMONY OF DEFENDANTS IN CRIMINAL CASES. Amends Hawaii's constitution so that in criminal cases, juries and fact finders can learn of prior convictions involving dishonesty of testifying defendants, to the extent as with any other testifying witness in a criminal case. (Governor)

HB3056 PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE VI OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII. Amends Hawaii's Constitution to establish an independent Judicial Conduct Commission. (Governor)