The House of Representatives passed 131 bills on third reading today, moving them to the Senate for their consideration. The bills include housing, homelessness, education, health, the environment, public safety, governmental affairs, the environment, and other important issues.
Here are some of today's
highlights:
Homelessness and
Housing
HB2281 Establishes within the Department of Human Services an Ohana Zones
program to provide housing to homeless individuals and families based on
principles similar to Housing First and appropriates unspecified funds for the
program.
HB2753 Establishes the Ohana Zone Pilot Program. Defines the intent of the
pilot program, and sets preliminary milestones that shall be met by the
Department of Human Services, Homeless Programs Office in establishing the
pilot program.
HB2472 Specifies that certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code related
to at-risk rules and deductions and to passive activity loss do not apply with
respect to claims for the state low-income housing tax credit.
HB2703 (1) Allocates a portion of the conveyance tax revenues to the rental
assistance revolving fund to be used to subsidize rents for persons who meet
certain income requirements; (2) Increases the income tax credit for low-income
household renters to an unspecified amount; and (3) Makes the state earned
income tax credit refundable and changes the amount of the credit to an
unspecified percentage of the federal earned income tax credit.
HB2744 Appropriates funds to provide additional rent supplement subsidies.
HB2745 Expands the rental assistance program by increasing the minimum
percentage of affordable units a rental housing project is required to maintain
for eligible tenants from 20% to 30%. Appropriates funds to support new rental
assistance program contracts.
HB1727 Requires employers to provide a minimum amount of paid sick leave to
employees to be used to care for themselves or a family member who is ill or
needs medical care, or due to a public health emergency. Gives employers
flexibility to offer paid sick leave to minimum wage and other employees or to
pay minimum wage employees a salary that is more than the minimum wage.
Education
HB1720 Allows for a state income tax deduction for teacher supplies purchased
for use in the classroom and for professional development courses; provided
that the teacher obtains a written certification from the Department of
Education.
Health
HB1911 Requires home care agencies to be licensed or certified. Authorizes
the Department of Health to inspect home care agencies. Requires the Department
of Health to establish a home care aid registry. Authorizes the Department of
Health to establish procedures for the receipt, investigation, and resolution
of complaints against home care agencies. Authorizes the Department of Health
to enter a care facility when investigating a facility or home. Allows the
Department of Health to establish a forum where state-licensed care facilities
may post job vacancies. Imposes criminal penalty for the intentional operation
of a community-based foster family home, adult foster family home, adult day
care center, or home care agency without a license. Requires the Department of
Health to establish a working group to discuss and provide feedback for the
implementation of the job vacancy forum.
HB2611 Appropriates moneys for Department of Health to fund substance abuse
treatment programs relating to persons with multiple chronic conditions, a
centralized referral system, case management programs, and a peer mentoring or
coaching program.
HB2208 Requires association health plan policies to comply with the laws of
this State regardless of the association's domicile. Enables certain voluntary
associations, including employer associations that issue association health
plans, to qualify for authorization to transact insurance in the State.
HB2128 Requires that health insurance policies include coverage for clinical
victim support services for victims of sexual violence and abuse who suffer
from mental disorders.
HB2729 Amends the reciprocity program and adds a visiting patient certifying
fee. Extends expiration of a written certification to three years for chronic
conditions. Permits retesting of a failed batch of medical cannabis or
products. Permits dispensary licensees to distribute devices that provide safe
pulmonary administration. Increases the maximum allowable tetrahydro cannibinol
limit for multi-pack cannabis products and single containers of oil.
Public Safety
HB1614 Automatically imposes a restraining order upon parties filing for
annulment, divorce, or separation to preserve the financial assets of the
parties and their dependents and maintain the current island of residence and
school of enrollment of a minor child of the parties.
HB2131 Creates a Hawaii Sexual Assault Response and Training Program to
address the manner in which sexual assault evidence collection kits are
processed and tracked, and to ensure that victims of sexual assault are
informed of their rights under the law.
HB2200 Allows an employer to seek a temporary restraining order and
injunction against further harassment of an employee or invitee who may be
harassed at the employer's premises or worksite, provided that the provisions
do not apply to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations or any of its
employees with investigatory duties and responsibilities.
HB2169 Appropriates moneys for youth suicide early intervention, prevention,
and education initiatives in Maui county.
Government
HB1656 Increases the amount of the fine that may be assessed against a
noncandidate committee making only independent expenditures for campaign
spending violations. Allows the Campaign Spending Commission to order that a
fine assessed against a noncandidate committee, or any portion thereof, be paid
from the personal funds of officers of the noncandidate committee.
HB2541 Enacts voting by mail uniformly across all counties for all elections
commencing in 2020, and allows any election to be conducted by mail prior to
the 2020 primary election.
HB1799 Allows only nonprofit corporations to be recipients of grants in aid
appropriated by the Legislature under Chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
The Environment
HB 2728 Establishes a Clean Transportation
Initiative to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of fossil fuels in all
public ground transportation by 2035.
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