News Release from Senate Democratic Caucus
Ahead of the First Crossover deadline, the Hawaii State Senate passed 372 Senate Bills at its session today. The bills now head over to the House for consideration.
The First Crossover deadline is on Thursday, March 8, 2012. This is the last day for a final vote on a bill to occur in its originating chamber before it is passed on to the other chamber for further consideration. During First Crossover, all Senate bills that pass Third Reading must crossover to the House and all House bills that pass Third Reading must crossover to the Senate by the March 8 deadline.
To view the Senate’s Order of the Day: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2012/orderoftheday/SOD_03-06-12_.pdf
For more information on the bills:http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov
Here are highlights of bills that have passed third reading:
ECONOMY
SB 2012, The Invest in Hawaii Act of 2012 (PASSED Senate 2/21/12)
Measure Title: RELATING TO PUBLIC FUNDS.
Description: Issues $500 million general obligation bonds to fund the repair and maintenance or capital renewal and deferred maintenance projects of various departments: the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Judiciary, etc.
SB 3050
Measure Title: RELATING TO FILM, TELEVISION, DIGITAL, AND NEW MEDIA DEVELOPMENT.
Description: Assigns to the Hawaii Tourism Authority the responsibilities for film, television, digital, and new media development. Repeals the film industry activities within the Department of Business, Economic, Development, and Tourism.
SB2111
Measure Title: RELATING TO FILM AND DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT.
Description: Establishes the Hawaii film and digital media special fund; amends the motion picture, digital media, and film production income tax credit.
EDUCATION
SB2789
Measure Title: RELATING TO EDUCATION.
Description: Requires, beginning with contracts negotiated for the contract period beginning July 1, 2013, that teachers be employed by the Department of Education for three years before being eligible for tenure. Provides the Department the directive, means, and flexibility to establish a performance management system that cultivates and supports highly effective educators and that implements our State's race to the top commitments.
SB2484
Measure Title: RELATING TO TAXATION.
Description: Authorizes a state income tax credit for certain expenses paid or incurred by a school teacher during the taxable year.
SB 2648
Measure Title: RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE.
Description: Authorizes campaign funds to be used to award scholarships to students attending an institution of higher education or vocational education school full time in a program leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential.
SB2005
Measure Title: PROPOSING A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X, SECTION 6, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO MODIFY THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
Description: Amends article X, section 6, of the Hawaii State Constitution to modify the appointment process for the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii; repeals reference to the candidate advisory council for the board of regents of the University of Hawaii.
SB2545
Measure Title: RELATING TO EDUCATION.
Description: Establishes the Executive Office on Early Learning. Establishes the Early Learning Advisory Board to replace the Early Learning Council. Repeals junior kindergarten programs at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, requires students to be at least five years of age on July 31 of the school year in order to attend kindergarten.
SB2546
Measure Title: RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
Description: Amends the form and function of the University of Hawaii Regents CandidateAdvisory Council. Repeals section 304A-104.5, HRS. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
SB2115
Measure Title: RELATING TO CHARTER SCHOOLS.
Description: Establishes a new chapter governing charter schools based on the recommendations of the Charter School Governance, Accountability, and Authority Task Force established by Act 130, Session Laws of Hawaii 2011.
ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY
SB 3003
Measure Title: RELATING TO GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES.
Description: Differentiates between "geothermal resources exploration" and "geothermal resources development". Designates "geothermal resources exploration" and "geothermal resources development" as permitted uses in all State land use districts and conservation district zones.
SB 2001
Measure Title: RELATING TO THE PUBLIC LAND TRUST.
Description: Amends the Hawaii state planning act to include promoting the development of indigenous renewable energy resources that are located on public trust land as a source of firm power and ensuring that the development of energy resources on public trust land directly benefits native Hawaiians and public beneficiaries of the trust.
SB2281
Measure Title: RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS.
Description: Authorizes an agency or an applicant to bypass the preparation of an environmental assessment and proceed directly with an environmental impact statement for proposed actions that are determined by the agency to require an environmental impact statement.
SB2511
Measure Title: RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
Description: Requires businesses in the State to collect a fee for single-use checkout bags provided to a customer. Allows businesses to keep twenty per cent of the fees for the first year of the program and ten per cent of the fees thereafter, subject to income and general excises taxes. Requires fees to be collected on single-use checkout bags not prohibited by county ordinance. Deposits all fees into a special account in the environmental management special fund.
HUMAN SERVICES
SB2579
Measure Title: RELATING TO MINORS.
Description: Establishes a new chapter for the safe harbor of sexually exploited children. Grants the Family Court exclusive jurisdiction over any person under eighteen who is charged with certain offenses of prostitution. Establishes that persons who are under eighteen and suspected of or charged with certain offenses of prostitution shall not be prosecuted, and shall be subject to the provisions of the safe harbor for sexually exploited children chapter.
SB2319
Measure Title: RELATING TO THE HOMELESS.
Description: Appropriates unspecified funds to the homeless programs office of Department of Human Services (DHS) and the rental housing trust fund. Appropriates unspecified funds to Department of Health for substance abuse treatment, mental health support services, and clean and sober housing services, and to DHS for a homeless prevention program, rental assistance program, and matching funds for shelter plus care grants.
TRANSPORTATION
SB3010
Measure Title: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.
Description: Temporarily exempts Department of Transportation and its contractors from certain state requirements for certain bridge rehabilitation projects.
SB2960
Measure Title: RELATING TO AERONAUTICS.
Description: Prohibits the Department of Transportation from assessing landing fees upon air carriers for flights landing at Molokai Airport, Lanai Airport, Kapalua-West Maui Airport, Hana Airport, Kalaupapa Airport, and Waimea-Kohala Airport.
HEALTH
SB2228
Measure Title: RELATING TO PSEUDOEPHEDRINE.
Description: Establishes an electronic tracking system for the sale of products containing pseudoephedrine base. Requires the Department of Public Safety Narcotics Enforcement Division to implement the electronic tracking system in conjunction with the existing narcotics tracking system.
SB416
Measure Title: RELATING TO HEALTH.
Description: Authorizes the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to bring the Hawaii Medical Center East facility under its governance through formal affiliation, acquisition, or both.
CONSUMER PROTECTION
SB2427
Measure Title: RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION.
Description: Requires the Public Utilities Corporation to implement best practices in the areas of regulatory frameworks, rules and procedures, and information technology and public access.
SB2429
Measure Title: RELATING TO FORECLOSURES.
Description: Implements the 2011 recommendations of the Mortgage Foreclosure Task Force, and other best practices, to address various issues relating to the mortgage foreclosures law and related issues affecting homeowner association liens and the collection of unpaid assessments. Makes permanent the mortgage foreclosure dispute resolution program and the process for converting nonjudicial foreclosures of residential property into judicial foreclosures. Repeals the provision excluding participants of the dispute resolution program from converting nonjudicial foreclosure proceedings to judicial actions.
HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS
SB2783
Measure Title: RELATING TO THE PUBLIC TRUST LANDS.
Description: Conveys Kakaako Makai lands to Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and resolves all disputes and controversies, and extinguishes, discharges and bars all claims, suits, and actions relating to OHA's portion of income and proceeds from the public trust lands for the period November 7, 1978 through June 30, 2012
MISCELLLANEOUS
SB2893
Measure Title: RELATING TO GAMBLING.
Description: Establishes a nine-member gambling commission exempt from section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes, attached to the office of the auditor, to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the social and economic costs and benefits of different forms of gambling and their impacts on the State in order for legislators to make informed policy decisions regarding gambling.
SB2494
Measure Title: RELATING TO ANIMAL CRUELTY.
Description: Requires specified persons who own, control, or have custody or control of ten or more dogs over age four months with intact sexual organs to meet minimum standards of care to ensure the proper treatment and care of dogs and the dogs' offspring. Prohibits any person from owning or having custody of more than thirty dogs over age of one year with intact sexual organs. Requires the licensing of dog breeders; authorizes each county to develop license requirements and fees; establishes minimum standards of care; authorizes each county to pursue civil penalties for noncompliant dog breeders.
(Other Animal Cruelty Bills: SB2492, SB2503, SB2208)