Hawai‘i County Council approves vending, permitting reform bills

A bill to permit roadside vending on Council-designated roads passed final reading with a Grassroot-supported amendment

from Grassroot Institute

The Hawai‘i County Council adopted a bill on Wednesday supported by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii that will legalize roadside vending and expand business opportunities for residents, pending final approval by Mayor Mitch Roth.

In Grassroot's most recent testimony, policy researcher Jonathan Helton wrote, “This would open up roadside vending opportunities to small business owners across the island.”

In response to testimony from Grassroot, the Council lowered the fine for violating the proposed bill from $1,000 to $250.

“The lower fine will ensure that entrepreneurs who vend in areas not permitted for roadside vending will not face undue hardship,” Helton wrote.

Reporter Michael Brestovansky covered the bill’s passage in yesterday's Hawaii Tribune-Herald, quoting Helton; Councilmember Holeka Goro Inaba, who introduced the bill; and Councilmember Matt Kaneali‘i-Kleinfelder.

Diluting the bill somewhat is an amendment that requires the Council to individually approve — by ordinance — each county road where roadside vending can be conducted.

Also on Wednesday, the Hawai‘i County Council approved on first reading Bill 212, which would exempt all building repair and maintenance work valued at $25,000 or less from needing a building permit. The current valuation threshold is $7,500.

In other Hawaii counties during the past two weeks, Grassroot submitted the following testimonies:

Kaua‘i County

>> Bill 2933 — "Allowing more guest homes would ease Kauai housing crisis"

Honolulu County

>> Bill 40 — "Self-certification for solar would free up permitting staff"

>> Bill 46 — "‘Empty homes’ tax fraught with pitfalls and unlikely to work"

Maui County

>> Bill 115 (2024) — "Extend exemption deadline for landlords of Maui fire victims"

>> Comments on the draft Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan (Adept-1) — "Revise code to encourage Maui beekeeping industry"

>> Comments on housing solutions — "Consider proven methods of how to increase Maui housing stock"

Quick hits

Hill quoted during nurses strike

One way for Hawaii to address its shortage of nurses would be for the state to join the interstate Nurse Licensure Compact, according to Grassroot Policy Director Malia Hill, as quoted by KHON2 reporter Nikky Schenfeld in a Sept. 30 news article headlined "How can Hawaii attract and retain more nurses?" The forward-looking article was written during the recent nurses strike at Kapiolani Medical Center.

Further, Hill said joining the compact "would allow nurses from the mainland who hold a license under the compact to come work in Hawaii without having to go through any sort of separate licensure hoops; they could just move here and work here.” Hill said such legislation was passed recently for physicians, but not for nurses.

Grassroot consulted in 'B' grade for Gov. Green

The Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute recently gave Hawaii Gov. Josh Green a “B” in its “Fiscal Report Card on America’s Governors 2024," which can be downloaded here. Sources cited as background for the grade include reporter Kevin Dayton of Honolulu Civil Beat, Seth Colby of the state Department of Taxation, and Joe Kent and Keli‘i Akina of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

The report hailed Green's 2024 tax cut and noted that he has "held the general fund budget quite flat and has been willing to trim excess spending passed by the legislature. For these reasons, Green is the highest-scoring Democrat in this study."

Honolulu Vibes calls out the Jones Act

America's protectionist maritime law known as the Jones Act took a hit this week in Honolulu Vibes, an online publication generally focused on food and entertainment.

"While living in paradise has its perks," the publication said on Tuesday, "there’s a lesser-known law contributing to the inflated costs of everyday life: the Jones Act."

It continued: "One of the toughest parts for us to accept is that the limited competition created by the Jones Act means that a small group of U.S.-flagged shipping companies control the market. This lack of competition leaves little room for price cuts or efficiency improvements. … As a result, everything costs more, and we, along with other local families, are left to foot the bill."

It concluded: "As we continue to deal with the high costs of living, we hope that the conversation around the Jones Act leads to meaningful reform. Until then, we’ll keep doing what we can to make ends meet while cherishing the unique beauty and community that make Oahu our home."