How major bills fared at the capitol

State lawmakers adjourned the session on Thursday after reviewing hundreds of bills. Here is the status of some of the most significant bills. Bills that have passed have been sent to Gov. Neil Abercrombie for his signature or veto. The governor also can allow bills to become law without his signature. Lawmakers can override vetoes by a two-thirds’ vote in each chamber.

GOVERNMENT

PASSED

State budget

HB 1700 HD1 SD1 CD1

Authorizes $12.1 billion in state spending for fiscal year 2015, including extra money for public education, preschool, and homeless assistance. Adjusts the budget for this fiscal year to $11.7 billion.

Turtle Bay

HB 2434 HD2 SD2 CD1

Authorizes $40 million in state revenue bonds to help acquire a conservation easement and preserve 665 acres of land at Turtle Bay Resort.

Hotel-room tax

HB 1671 HD1 SD1 CD1

Replaces the $93 million annual cap on the counties’ share of hotel-room tax revenue with a $103 million cap. Asks a working group to determine future allocations and the division of public services between the state and counties.

Hawaii Community Development Authority

HB 1866 HD2 SD2 Act 61

Reduces the governor’s power over appointments to the HCDA, freezes building height limits and expands public notice requirements on Kakaako development projects.

Voter registration

HB 2590 HD1 SD2 CD1

Allows voter registration at absentee polling places beginning in 2016 and Election Day registration at precincts starting in 2018.

Lobbying disclosure

SB 2629 SD1 HD1

Requires lobbyists to disclose spending within 30 days after special legislative sessions.

Judicial nominees

HB 420 HD1

Asks voters whether to amend the state Constitution to require the Judicial Selection Commission to publicly disclose nominees for top court positions at the same time lists are presented to the governor or chief justice.

FAILED

Office of Hawaiian Affairs – Kakaako

Authorizes residential development on specified parcels of Kakaako land owned by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Dole land exchange

Explores the exchange of state land for land owned by Dole Food Co. to help preserve agriculture in Wahiawa and the North Shore.

BUSINESS / TAXES

PASSED

Capital infrastructure tax credit

HB 1702 HD2 SD2 CD1

Creates a capital infrastructure tax credit for investors who help maritime tenants displaced by the state’s Kapalama Container Terminal project.

Barrel tax

SB 2196 SD2 HD1 CD1

Re-establishes the energy systems development special fund, supported in part by revenue collected from the barrel tax on petroleum products. Extends the split of barrel tax revenue to a variety of energy and food security purposes to 2030.

Liquor licenses

HB 286 HD1 SD1 Act 57

No longer requires condominium hotels or hotels to have commercial kitchens and dining rooms to obtain liquor licenses.

Solar energy

SB2775 SD1 HD1 Act 52

Permits solar energy facilities on agricultural land under certain conditions.

FAILED

Earned income tax credit

Establishes a state earned income tax credit to help the working poor.

Low-income tax relief

Expands a food/excise tax credit and income tax credit for low-income household renters and creates new low-income tax and earned income tax credits.

Food/excise tax credit

Expands the food/excise tax credit for low- income taxpayers.

Low-income tax exemption

Eliminates income tax liability for taxpayers who fall below federal poverty guidelines.

Manufacturing

Establishes a temporary income tax credit for manufacturing equipment costs.

Hotel construction

Creates an income tax credit for qualified hotel construction or renovation costs.

Senior tax relief

Provides income tax exemptions for low-to middle-income seniors.

Senior tax credits

Doubles a food / excise tax credit for low-to middle- income seniors.

E-cigarettes

Defines electronic smoking devices as tobacco products and bans use of the devices where smoking is currently prohibited.

EDUCATION

PASSED

Mandatory kindergarten

SB 2768 SD2 HD2 CD1

Mandates kindergarten attendance for 5-year-olds.

Superintendent salary cap

HB 2257 HD2 SD2 CD1

Increases the maximum annual salary of the state schools superintendent to $250,000 from $150,000.

School seclusion

HB 1796 HD2 SD1 CD1

Prohibits the use of seclusion, chemical restraint (drugs or medications) or mechanical restraint in public schools and bans physical restraints in most circumstances.

Charter schools

HB 1745 HD2 SD2 CD1

Revises the state’s charter school law to address issues regarding charter application criteria, charter school governing boards, operating costs of the state Public Charter School Commission and more.

FAILED

Early childhood education

Implements an early childhood education program if voters in November ratify a state constitutional amendment and allow public money to go toward private preschool.

Instructional hours

Requires public schools to have 990 instructional hours a year. Repeals a future requirement of 180 school days a year with 1,080 instructional hours.

Instructional days

Adds an unspecified number of required school days to a 180-day school year.

Smoking ban at University of Hawaii

Prohibits smoking, including electronic smoking devices, and tobacco use on University of Hawaii grounds.

R.E.A.C.H.

Creates the Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture, and Health program to provide after-school programs in public middle and intermediate schools.

University of Hawaii-West Oahu

Prohibits land used for the permanent University of Hawaii at West Oahu campus to be sold or gifted without legislative consent.

Financial disclosure

Makes public the financial disclosures of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents.

CONSUMER PROTECTION / LABOR

PASSED

Minimum wage

SB 2609 SD1 HD2 CD1

Gradually increases the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by January 2018, up from $7.25 an hour. Provides a 75-cent tip credit — up from 25 cents — for businesses to deduct from workers who earn at least $7 over minimum wage with tips, up from 50 cents.

Hawaii Health Connector

SB 2470 SD1 HD1 CD1

Establishes a legislative oversight committee and other controls to improve performance of the state health insurance exchange under the federal health care reform law. Authorizes $1.5 million for the exchange.

Electric grid modernization

HB 1943 HD2 SD2 CD1

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to closely examine how to modernize the state’s electric grids to eliminate technical and economic barriers that prevent customer-generators from interconnecting to the grids in a timely manner.

Cybersecurity

HB 2003 HD1 SD1 CD1

Creates a cybersecurity coordinator position to help develop ways to improve the state’s cybersecurity and cyber resiliency.

Organ donation

HB 2400 SD1 CD1

Offers temporary disability benefits to employees who suffer disabilities as a result of donating organs.

Bone marrow donation

SB 1233 HD1 CD1

Requires certain private businesses to give employees leaves of absence to donate organs, bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells.

Human trafficking

HB 2038 HD1 SD2 CD1

Establishes the human trafficking victim services fund.

FAILED

Dietary supplements

Prohibits the sale of dietary supplements that do not meet federal good manufacturing guidelines.

GMO labeling

Imposes labeling requirements on genetically engineered food.

GMO task force

Mobilizes a task force on whether the state should regulate the agricultural use of genetically modified organisms.

CRIME

PASSED

Child sexual assault — civil

SB 2687 SD1 HD2 CD1

Grants victims another two years to file lawsuits over decades-old child sexual abuse claims against individuals, private organizations and the state and counties.

Sexual assault — criminal

HB 2034 HD2 SD1 CD1

Removes the statute of limitations on criminal prosecution for first- and second-degree sexual assault and the continuous sexual assault of a minor under 14.

Youth sentencing

HB 2116 HD2 SD1 CD1

Eliminates sentences of life in prison without parole for juvenile offenders.

Juvenile justice

HB 2490 HD2 SD2 CD2

Makes changes to the juvenile justice system to help ensure only the most serious youth offenders are incarcerated.

Police sex with prostitutes

HB 1926 HD1 SD1 CD1

Prohibits police from engaging in sexual penetration or sadomasochistic abuse during prostitution stings.

Domestic violence

HB 1993 SD2 CD1

Makes committing physical abuse in front of a family or household member younger than 14 a third-degree felony.

Alicia’s law

SB 702 SD2 HD2 CD1

Imposes a fee for felony and misdemeanor convictions of Internet crimes against children and establishes a special fund for investigating and prosecuting such crimes.

Revenge porn

HB 1750 HD1 SD1 CD1

Criminalizes intentionally distributing sexually explicit images without the consent of the person depicted.

Property crime

HB 2205 HD1 SD1 CD1

Toughens sentencing standards for habitual property crime violators.

Bikeway parking

HB 1706 HD1 SD1 CD1

Sets a fine of $200 for parking on bicycle lanes or bicycle pathways.

FAILED

Crimes against the homeless

Provides for extended prison sentences for defendants who substantially injure the homeless.

HEALTH / SOCIAL SERVICES

PASSED

Kupuna care

SB 2346 SD1 HD2 CD1

Authorizes an additional $4.2 million for state-funded kupuna care programs; $1.9 million for aging and disability resource centers; about $476,000 for the healthy aging partnership program; and $500,000 for a public awareness campaign on long-term care.

Kupuna care — fall prevention

HB 2053 HD1 SD1 CD1

Creates and funds a fall prevention and early detection coordinator position at the state Department of Health.

Rental housing trust fund

SB 2542 SD1 HD1 CD1

Restores the allocation of conveyance tax revenue to the rental housing trust fund to 50 percent, up from 30 percent.

Hawaii Health

Health Connector task force

HB 2581 HD3 SD2 CD1

Establishes the state innovation waiver task force to develop a plan for applying for waivers from certain requirements of the federal health care reform law.

Public housing — smoking

SB 651 SD2 HD2 CD1

Prohibits smoking in public housing projects. Permits the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to designate smoking areas near residential or other buildings.

Autism coverage

SB 2054 SD3 HD3 CD1

Authorizes $50,000 for an actuarial study to assess the fiscal impact of requiring health coverage for autism spectrum disorder treatments.

Tanning

HB 611 HD1 SD1 CD1

Prohibits minors from being allowed to use tanning beds.

FAILED

Hawaii Health Systems Corp.

Allows the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., the state’s public hospital system, to transition into a nonprofit.

Medical marijuana

Enables certified pain specialist physicians, oncologists, ophthalmologists and palliative care physicians to prescribe medical marijuana starting in January.

Home birth

Creates a task force to address home birth safety.

ENVIRONMENT

PASSED

Invasive species

HB 1716

Allocates $5 million for invasive species prevention, control, outreach, research and planning through the Hawaii Invasive Species Council. Addresses pests such as the little fire ant.

Environmental courts

SB 632 SD2 HD1 CD1

Creates environmental courts as divisions within the Circuit Courts and District Courts to hear cases regarding environmental laws.

Climate change

HB 1714 HD1 SD2 CD1

Establishes the interagency climate adaptation committee under the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop a sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation report.

Coffee berry borer

HB 1514 HD1 SD2 CD1

Provides $500,000 for a pesticide subsidy program to combat the coffee berry borer.

Macadamia felted coccid

HB 1931 HD1 SD2 CD1

Allocates $360,000 to the state Department of Agriculture to research and develop new methods of preventing and treating macadamia felted coccid infestations.

Industrial hemp

SB 2175 SD2 HD2 Act 56

Authorizes the dean of the University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to establish a two-year industrial hemp research program. Requires a report to the Legislature ahead of the 2016 session.

FAILED

Pesticide regulation

Appropriates money for increased pesticide education and regulation.

Right to farm

Prohibits counties from restricting farmers and ranchers from using agricultural technology, modern livestock production or ranching practices that are not prohibited by federal or state law.

Geothermal

Establishes a per-mitting process through which the state Board of Land and Natural Resources and the counties can regulate geothermal resources development.

MISCELLANEOUS

PASSED

Public order

HB 33 SD1 Act 50

Extends the sunset date for a law prohibiting urinating or defecating in public within downtown Honolulu through 2016.

Blocking sidewalks

HB 1660 HD1 SD1 Act 51

Amends the offense of obstruction to include providing less than 36 inches of space for passage on public sidewalks.

Financial disclosure

SB 2682 SD1 HD2 CD1

Makes public the financial disclosure statements of members of more than a dozen state boards, commissions and agencies.

Public land liability

SB 1007 SD2 HD2

Makes permanent the liability protections for warning signs for outdoor recreation on public land.

FAILED

County of Niihau

Establishes the County of Niihau under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and asks the department to form a temporary working group to further examine the concept.

Initiative and referendum

Asks voters whether to amend the state Constitution to provide for initiative and referendum.

Public financing of elections

Creates a public funding program for state House elections.

Free speech

Asks voters whether to amend the state Constitutional and declare that free speech does not include spending money to influence elections.

Homeless Bill of Rights

Clarifies that homeless residents have various rights such as moving freely in public without harassment, having equal opportunities for employment and registering to vote.

State instrument

Designates the ukulele as the official state instrument.

Smoking ban at beaches

Prohibits smoking on all public beaches statewide.

Agricultural sales

Prohibits the state Land Use Commission and the counties from restricting agricultural-based commercial operations authorized by the state.