Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – Today the State House Committee on Finance chaired by Representative
Sylvia J. Luke (Makiki, Punchbowl, Nuʻuanu, Dowsett
Highlands, Pacific Heights, Pauoa) passed dozens of bills, including:
Appropriates $60 million for
disaster relief, recovery, mitigation, and remediation activities for the
County of Hawaii. The Kilauea eruption covered nearly 14 square miles in
Puna; it destroyed 716 homes and made over three thousand parcels inaccessible,
and destroyed a school, farms, cultural sites, roadways, water systems,
recreational destinations, and a large portion of the electrical grid. The
state has already allocated $22 million for recovery efforts bringing the total
funding to $82 million. The governor, the legislature, and the Hawaii County
Council all support this bill. The bill requires reporting of monthly
expenditures to the Department of Budget and Finance.
HB 1488, HD1 RELATING TO THE STATE CAPITOL.
Requires DAGS, in consultation
with the Legislature and appropriate agencies, to develop and implement an
enhanced security plan for the State Capitol. A 28-year-old man was
fatally shot by a deputy sheriff on Feb. 18 during a routine patrol on the
Capitol rotunda when the officer struggled with the man who may have been
drinking alcohol and refused to leave the grounds. Appropriates funds to DAGS
for enhanced security measures and security improvements, including vehicular
barriers and to PSD to purchase or lease security screening equipment and
contract private screening personnel for the State Capitol.
HB 703, HD1 RELATING TO INTOXICATING
LIQUOR.
Prohibits any person convicted
of Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant (OVUII) or
Habitually Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant (HOVUII)
from purchasing or publicly consuming alcohol for a probation period following
sentencing or administrative license revocation. In January, a suspected impaired driver plowed into a
crowded Kakaʻako intersection,
killing three people. In 2018, 43 pedestrians were killed in car crashes statewide. The bill amends
the sentencing requirements for OVUII and HOVUII offenses. Amends the
threshold for HOVUII offenses.
HB 1177, HD1 RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
Appropriates funds to purchase
the Honolulu Federal Detention Center.
HB 1153, HD1 RELATING TO REMOTE TESTIMONY
IN LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS.
Requires each house of the
Legislature to establish, by rule, procedures for the public to present oral
testimony at legislative committee hearings through remote testimony. This
will expand and encourage public participation opportunities. Appropriates
funds.
HB 626 RELATING TO VACANCIES.
Requires vacancies in the
offices of United States Senator, State Senator, and State Representative to be
filled by special election.
HB 1263 RELATING TO ORDER OF
SUCCESSION.
Amends the order of succession
to the office of lieutenant governor.
HB 1248, HD1 RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Enacts voting by mail uniformly
across all counties for all elections commencing in 2020. Appropriates
funds for the implementation and administration of the election by mail
program. Requires the office of elections to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the
implementation of a vote by mail system.
HB 709, HD1 PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO
ARTICLE II OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII.
Proposes an amendment to the
Hawaiʻi State
Constitution to allow a recount of votes cast at an election to be conducted in
a manner to be provided by law.
HB 428, HD1 RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Requires an automatic recount
of votes cast for a candidate or on a ballot question when the difference in
the number of votes cast for the top two candidates or on the question is equal
to or less than 100 votes or 0.5 percent, whichever is greater.
These measures will
move to a full vote on the House floor.
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