Bills of interest for Thursday, January 31st

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31ST

Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs, Room 309, 8:30 a.m.

HB2608 RELATING TO PRISONS. Creates separate forensic treatment facilities within all community correctional centers. Ends practice of housing mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement and with general prison population. (Evans)

HB2824 RELATING TO SENTENCING. Authorizes the court to sentence certain persons convicted of sexual assault in the first degree to wear a global positioning system transmitter for up to 10 years after the person's release from prison. (Karamatsu)

Committee on Human Services & Housing, Room 329, 8:30 a.m.

HB2000 RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE. Requires that hearing aid devices be included in mandatory insurance coverage for Medicaid and private health insurance. (Shimabukuro)

Committee on Human Services & Housing, Room 329, 9:45 a.m.

HB2394 RELATING TO TAXATION. Provides for an additional county surcharge on state tax of up to 1% for counties with populations that exceed 500,000. The tax replaces the real property tax collected by participating counties. Reduces rental rates in participating counties to offset reduction in the real property taxes paid by landlords. (Waters)

Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection/Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, Room 312, 10:00 a.m.

HB2590 RELATING TO SUSTAINABILITY. Adopts the Hawaii 2050 sustainability plan. Establishes a sustainability council to coordinate, implement, measure, and evaluate the progress of the Hawaii 2050 sustainability plan and activities. (Yamane)

Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs/Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, Room 312, 10:30 a.m.

HB2828 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE SUPER SUCKER. Appropriates moneys to provide one year of funding for the full time operation of the super sucker project in Kaneohe Bay and for the purchase of a portable super sucker unit. (Chong)

Committee on Finance/Committee on Ways and Means, Room 329, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING. The Department of Public Safety, Department of Accounting and General Services, and Architects Hawaii will brief the committees on the Administration's proposal to replace the Maui Community Correctional Center with a new program intensive facility.

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

HB3226 RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII. Requires the submission of candidates' names for the regents candidate advisory council within 60 days following notification of a vacancy. (Chang)

HB2458 RELATING TO COLLEGE SAVINGS PROGRAM. Provides an annual maximum deduction of $10,000 per individual or $20,000 for a married couple filing jointly against their taxable income for contributions made to Hawaii's college savings program in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2007. (Caldwell)