Your Testimony is Needed!
From Honolulu Republican Party, February 18, 2019
Our voice and opinions are powerful. Our legislators were elected to represent our concerns. It is up to us to voice concerns and to make our voice heard. If we take the time to convey our thoughts to our elected officials and follow up with them, our message will have great impact, but we all must get involved.
Click on the bill number to see the details and submit testimony.
LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS WEEK 5
Monday February 18, 2019
Tuesday February 19, 2019
HB 720
RELATING TO FIREARMS.
Requires firearm owners to report lost, stolen, or destroyed firearms. (HB720 HD1) OPPOSE
HB 1383
RELATING TO MARIJUANA.
Decriminalizes certain offenses relating to marijuana and establishes a schedule of monetary fines for violations. Changes statutory references from ""marijuana"" to ""cannabis."" Provides for the dismissal of charges and expungement of criminal records based solely on cannabis offenses. Establishes the cannabis evaluation working group. Requires a report to the Legislature. OPPOSE
The JUD Committee is under pressure to defer this bill. Contact the following Committee members and encourage them to vote NO Reps. Joy A. San Buenaventura, Nicole E. Lowen, Calvin Say, Ryan I. Yamane.
SB 714
RELATING TO THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
Imposes the transient accommodations tax on resort fees that are calculated separately from the advertised transient accommodation's rate. Clarifies that the transient accommodations tax shall be calculated based on the gross rental. Amends the formula for the amount of transient accommodations tax to be collected from time shares by increasing the base on which time share occupancy is taxed from one-half of the gross daily maintenance fees paid by the owner and are attributable to the time share unit to one hundred per cent of the gross daily maintenance fees. Specifies that the transient accommodations tax is to be collected from transient accommodations intermediaries who arrange transient accommodations at noncommissioned negotiated contract rates in the same manner as transient accommodations operators. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2019.(SB714 SD1) OPPOSE
SB 1494
RELATING TO HEALTH.
Establishes a working group to evaluate current behavioral health care and related systems to promote effective integration of services and improve response and coordination of care for persons experiencing substance abuse, mental health conditions, and homelessness. Makes an appropriation. (SB1494 SD1) OPPOSE
Wednesday February 20, 2019
HB 527
RELATING TO CANNABIS FOR MEDICAL USE.
Authorizes and regulates the manufacturing of edible cannabis products as manufactured cannabis products by licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Establishes standards, including regulations and education protocols, for edible cannabis products. Requires cannabis and manufactured cannabis products to include a universal symbol, developed by the department of health, to identify any product containing cannabis. Requires the department of health to implement a cannabis product recall system. (HB527 HD1) OPPOSE
HB 616
RELATING TO TAXATION.
Exempts locally grown produce and locally raised livestock food products from the general excise tax. (HB616 HD1) SUPPORT
HB 908
RELATING TO THE TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX.
Allocates and appropriates funds from transient accommodations tax revenues to the Hawaii Tourism Authority to implement initiatives, in conjunction with the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, to address homelessness in tourist and resort areas. Requires the Hawaii Tourism Authority to report to the Legislature. (HB908 HD1) OPPOSE
SB 398
RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.
Directs the Department of Human Services, in partnership with the state procurement office, to provide training on government procurement and other relevant procedures to nonprofit organizations that offer homeless outreach services or manage homeless housing programs in rural areas of the State. Appropriates funds for the training program. (SB398 SD1) SUPPORT
SB 526
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
Appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to purchase, staff, and operate two mobile clinics to serve homeless persons; provided that one of the mobile clinics shall be allocated to the county of Hawaii. Requires matching funds. (SB 526 SD1) SUPPORT
SB 1131
"RELATING TO OHANA ZONES.
Increases the number of ohana zone sites on Oahu from three to six. Appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services for the ohana zones pilot program. (SB1131 SD1) OPPOSE
Ohana Zones are not the solution to our homeless problem. This is a short sighted solution to what has been a long term problem."
Thursday February 21, 2019
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. SUPPORT
HB 627
RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
Classifies any independent expenditure as a contribution to a candidate or as a contribution to each opposing candidate. Requires any advertisement by a noncandidate committee that makes only independent expenditures to disclose all contributors for the advertisement. (HB627 HD1) OPPOSE
HB 709
PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE II OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII.
Proposes an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution to allow a recount of votes cast at an election to be conducted in a manner to be provided by law. (HB709 HD1) SUPPORT
HB 713
RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS.
Establishes a 3-year Homeless Employment Grant Program that provides homeless individuals with work opportunities and connects them with service providers. Requires the Department of Human Services to submit a report to the Legislature prior to the 2020 Regular Session. Appropriates funds. (HB713 HD1) OPPOSE
HB 999
RELATING TO EXEMPTIONS FROM CIVIL SERVICE.
Permanently exempts certain positions from civil service. (HB999 HD1) OPPOSE
HB 1248
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. (HB1248 HD1) OPPOSE
HB 1380
RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
Creates a comprehensive public funding program for candidates for county elections beginning in 2022. Appropriates funds to the Campaign Spending Commission. (HB1380 HD1) OPPOSE
Friday February 22, 2019
SB 600
RELATING TO FIREARMS.
Provides that no person less than 21 years of age shall bring any firearm into the State. OPPOSE
SB 621
RELATING TO FIREARMS.
Requires a person to report the person's lost, stolen, or destroyed firearms to the appropriate county police department. Establishes penalties for failure to report. (SB621 SD1)OPPOSE
SB 943
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Specifies that the filing date for candidate committee preliminary reports is thirty days, rather than ten days, before a general, subsequent special, or subsequent nonpartisan election. Specifies that the filing date for candidate committee preliminary reports is sixty and then thirty days, rather than thirty days and then ten days, before a primary, initial special, or initial nonpartisan election and that the report filed sixty days before the election shall be current through May 31. Amends the filing due dates for noncandidate committee reports to correspond with the due dates for candidate committee reports. SUPPORT
SB 1321
RELATING TO FIREARMS.
Clarifies that failure to register a firearm within the required time period does not relieve the owner of the duty to register the firearm. Allows the owner of an unregistered firearm to register the firearm thereafter without penalty. (SB1321 SD1) SUPPORT
SB 1466
RELATING TO GUN VIOLENCE PROTECTIVE ORDERS.
Establishes a process by which a law enforcement officer or family or household member may obtain a court order to prevent a person from accessing firearms and ammunition when the person poses a danger of causing bodily injury to oneself or another. (SB1466 SD1) OPPOSE
2019 Legislative Session
TESTIMONY
Testimony for legislative measures scheduled for hearing by the House or Senate should be delivered at least 24 hours prior to the hearing and may be submitted in person, by fax, or electronically as indicated on the hearing notice.
Testimony for legislative measures scheduled for hearing by the House or Senate may be submitted electronically through the Hawaii State Legislature's website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov by clicking on the button marked Submit Testimony and following the on-screen instructions.
Testimony for legislative measures scheduled for hearing by the Senate may also be faxed to 586-6659 (Oahu) or 1-800-586-6659 (Neighbor Islands).
SENATE HEARING LATE TESTIMONY - Testimony received after the 24-hour deadline will be posted to the Capitol website within 24 hours after the hearing has adjourned and may be marked as "late".
HOUSE HEARING LATE TESTIMONY - Staff will try to incorporate additional testimony received within 24 hours of the hearing if possible.
The hearing committee will post testimony received "on-time" to the Capitol website at the beginning of the hearing. Testimony received after the 24-hour deadline may be marked as "late" but will be posted to the Capitol website as soon as possible following the hearing. Testimony submitted after the hearing will not be considered or posted.
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR KEY DATES
FEB 21 - 27 MANDATORY 5-DAY RECESS – Hawaii’s Constitution mandates a 5-day recess between the 20th and 40th days of the regular session. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate convene or assemble formally in chamber on recess days. Committee hearings do take place. (No formal floor action takes place during this recess, but committees may still meet and conduct business, including public hearings.)