Senate Passes More Than 300 Bills Today

News Release from Senate Majority Caucus March 4, 2014

In preparation for the first crossover deadline Thursday, the Senate today held a long floor session to move bills out of its chamber so that it may crossover to the House of Representatives.

Today, more than 300 bills passed third reading in the Senate.

Noteworthy bills that passed include all four bills on climate change, invasive species, and the elderly in the Joint-Majority Package:

• SB 2344 SD1 to establish the interagency sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation committee to address sea level rise impacts statewide to 2050.
• SB 2343 to appropriate funds to the Hawaii Invasive Species Council for invasive species prevention, control, outreach, research, and planning.
• SB 2345 SD1  to fund the operation of education programs targeted to kupuna including investor education and other related financial education programs.
• SB 2346 SD 1 to provide ongoing financial support to healthy aging programs and services and conduct a public education and awareness campaign on long-term care.

Other notable bills that have also passed third reading in the Senate include:

• SB2446 SD1 to name the new Kihei high school after the late U.S. Representative Patsy T. Mink
• SB 2609 SD1 to increase minimum wage rate to $10.10 per hour and to change the tip credit to unspecified amounts
• SB2424 SD 2 to develop a master cooling strategy so that air conditioning may be installed in public schools
• SB3036 SD2 to create a beach management plan for the north shore of Oahu
• SB2574 SD1 to permit physicians to prescribe medical marijuana
• SB3033 SD2 to establish the County of Niihau under the jurisdiction of DLNR
• SB2222 SD2 to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products
• SB2265 SD1 to increase the supply of public housing units in the state
• SB2968 to provide an income tax credit for hotel construction and renovation
• SB2454 SD2 to establish a task force to determine whether the state should regulate agricultural use of genetically modified organisms.
• SB3066 SD2 to establish the public-private finance initiative

As the first crossover deadline approaches this Thursday, March 6, we will get a better sense of what this 2014 legislative session can accomplish as bills that do not pass a third reading by that date will die this session.