Time running out at Legislature for bills hoping to make it to the governor's desk

from Grassroot Institute, March 4, 2023

'Crossover' is March 9, but any bill not out of committee by today likely will be dead, especially since gut-and-replace is now illegal

So far this legislative session, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has submitted over 85 testimonies on bills regarding housing, taxation, government transparency and many more. 

Any bill that hasn't crossed over from the House to the Senate, or vice versa, by March 9 will be considered dead for the year — unless legislators are somehow able to resurrect the shameful practice of "gut and replace," which the state Supreme Court ruled illegal in November 2021.

Here are some of the testimonies the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii submitted to state lawmakers during the past week:

>> SB867: Nix inclusionary zoning rules to spark new home construction

>> HB1362 HD1: Help business owners by taxing at entity level

>> SB176: Bill would make ‘temporary’ GET rail surcharge permanent

>> HB710 HD1: Cap fees for public records to increase government transparency

>> SB321 SD1: Authorize study of licensing compact for nurses

>> SB320 SD1: Authorize study of interstate compact for psychologists

>> SB319 SD1: Authorize study group for EMS interstate compact

>> SB507: Give HHFDC more flexibility over projects involving wetlands

>> SB674 SD1: License portability would help alleviate doctor shortage

>> SB1035 SD1: Remove GET for Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE payments

>> SB63 SD1: Proposal to solve nursing shortage good but falls short

>> SB937 SD1: LUC reform could speed up new home construction

>> SB668 SD1: Compact could entice physical therapists to practice in Hawaii

>> HB1049 HD1: Governor’s tax plan would provide boost to Hawaii’s economy

>> SB945 SD1: Better tack would be to extend cryptocurrency sandbox

>> SB1261 HD1: Bill grants division chief too much power over digital currency

>> SB1437: Tax deduction would help isle businesses at no cost to the state

>> SB1158 SD1: Bill would revive pension spiking

>> SB875: Forfeiture bill would give counties dangerous power
Have your say on these issues too!

If you want to speak up and testify on these issues, take these three simple steps: 1) Click on "Log In" or "Register" at the Hawai‘i State Legislature website and search any bill from the list above. 2) Share a personal story or simply state that you support or oppose the bill. 3) Click the orange button that says "Submit Testimony."
Speaking of testimonies ...

Here are testimonies the Institute submitted during the past week to the Honolulu City Council.

>> Bill 37 (2022): Bill 37 fails to index tax credit to inflation; Bill 38 is better

>> Bill 38 (2022): Changing tax credit to portion of income would help Oahu homeowners

>> Bill 40 (2022): Link home exemption to increase in home values

>> Bill 4 CD1 (2022): Proposed new category for ‘transient vacation’ rentals would burden residents