Includes measures relating
to the hotel room tax, aging and climate change
The House today passed 83 bills that cover a broad range of issues on education, health care, social services, housing and homelessness, economic development, aging and senior care, space exploration, and climate change and the environment. The body now stands in recess and will reconvene to take action on additional measures up for third reading next week on Tuesday, March 4th at 9 a.m.
To date, the House has approved more than 200 bills this
session that have crossed over to the Senate for its consideration.
The measures passed today include HB 1671, relating to the
Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT), HB 1713 relating to aging and long-term
care, HB 1714 protecting seniors from financial fraud, and HB 1714 relating to
climate change, as well as bills relating to Niihau, the homeless and the
disabled.
HB
1671 HD1 removes the $93 million cap on the Transient Accommodations Tax
(TAT) allocation to the counties and, instead, establishes the distribution of
these revenues as a percentage of the TAT collected. The measure, which is
expected to produce additional funds for the counties, was introduced and
advocated by House Speaker Joseph M. Souki in his opening day speech.
The following bills were part of the joint Senate-House
majority package focusing on seniors and the environment. The significance of
the joint package is that the bills are considered to have statewide importance
and the commitment of the majorities of both chambers.
HB
1713 provides ongoing financial support to healthy aging programs and
services, and requires the Executive Office on Aging to conduct a public
education and awareness campaign on long-term care.
HB
1715 HD1 appropriates funds for educational
outreach targeted to protect seniors from financial fraud, based on Department
of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ existing investor education programs.
HB
1714 HD1 addresses climate changes by tasking the Interagency Climate
Adaptation Committee under the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR)
with creating sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation reports. Tasks the
Office of Planning with establishing and implementing strategic climate
adaptation plans and policy recommendations based on that report.
Other notable bills also passed
today included:
HB 709 HD2 establishes a task force to assist the DLNR in
developing rules that regulate activities within and that are applicable to all
coastal areas and near shore waters. It requires the task force to submit
reports to the Legislature in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and prohibits DLNR from
adopting any rules affecting coastal areas and near shore waters of Niihau
until the task force submits a final report. The bill also appropriates funds
for the DLNR to conduct public outreach meetings to adopt rules applicable to all
coastal areas and near shore waters.
HB 2478 HD1 provides
a taxpayer who hires an individual with a disability a nonrefundable tax credit
for the six-month period after the individual is initially hired by the
taxpayer.
HB 1934 HD1 appropriates
funds to various programs that provide housing, housing assistance, and
supportive services to individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
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