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A look at some of the new laws that are set to take effect when the new fiscal year begins Friday. All of these bills have been signed into law by Gov. Neil Abercrombie.
» House Bill 200: State operating budget.
» HB 300: State Judiciary budget.
» HB 400: Office of Hawaiian Affairs budget.
» HB 44: Makes it a misdemeanor to offer or agree to pay a fee to another person to engage in sexual conduct within 750 feet of a school or public park.
» HB 141: Establishes class A and B felonies for labor trafficking offenses, a nonpayment of wages offense and an unlawful conduct with respect to documents offense.
» HB 240: Makes various amendments regarding prostitution offenses, giving greater priority to cases involving witness security and protection, increasing the grade of offense for promoting prostitution, expands offenses of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution to cover patrons and makes offense of habitual solicitation of prostitution a class C felony.
» HB 439: Extends evidentiary presumptions regarding publications and legal opinions to those posted to government websites.
» HB 593: Requires candidates for county elective office to submit a sworn certification that the candidate has complied with the relevant provisions of the county charter and county ordinances.
» HB 716: Establishes new election deadlines to comply with state primary election date required by federal law.
» HB 775: Transfers all money in the photo enforcement revolving fund to the general fund.
» HB 960: Establishes a program for granting low-income housing tax credit loans in lieu of housing tax credits.
» HB 1003: Amends certain criminal offenses to include conduct committed against domestic violence victims covered by protective orders or restraining orders.
» HB 1009: Allows state to retain fingerprints of employment and licensing applicants for whom criminal history record checks are authorized statutorily for implementation of a statewide "Rap Back" program.
» HB 1039: Provides rent relief to airport concessionaires that do not have a self-adjusting rent formula. Increases the rental motor vehicle surcharge tax to $7.50 per day until June 30, 2012.
» HB 1060: Moves chief information officer from Office of the Governor to Department of Accounting and General Services. Allocates 3 percent of central service fees collected to the Shared Services Technology Special Fund and transfers the Fund to DAGS.
» HB 1067: Repeals the authority of Office of Youth Services executive director to transfer youth from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility to adult correctional facilities for disciplinary or other reasons.
» HB 1082: Establishes the Conservation and Resources Enforcement Special Fund in the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
» HB 1085: Amends statutes on controlled substances to be consistent with the federal laws and increases the fee for the registration certificate for qualifying patients for medical marijuana.
» HB1107: Authorizes qualified members of Army and Air National Guard to use electric guns subject to state law when assisting civil authorities in disaster relief, civil defense or law enforcement functions.
» HB 1342: Exempts broadband infrastructure improvements from state or county permitting requirements for five years, under certain conditions.
» HB 1613: Requires an application to register to vote in person or by mail to include a space to request a permanent absentee ballot.
» HB 1622: Requires the construction of a state law enforcement memorial in the Capitol District, provided private funds are solicited.
» Senate Bill 2: Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to initiate and coordinate efforts to establish a public lands information system.
» SB 14: Expands the authorized uses of the Agricultural Development and Food Security Special Fund to include the improvement of dams and reservoirs and water quality testing and improvement.
» SB 52: Requires persons convicted of violation of privacy in the first degree and all persons convicted of promoting prostitution in the first degree to register as sex offenders. Applies retroactively.
» SB 570: Eliminates the deduction for state taxes paid for taxpayers with income above specified thresholds. Places temporary limitations on claims for itemized tax deductions. Delays the standard deduction and personal exemption increases approved under Act 60 of 2009 while also making those increases permanent.
» SB 704: Exempts certain third-party owners and operators of on-site renewable energy systems from regulation as public utilities by the public utilities commission.
» SB 754: Suspends for two years exemptions for certain persons and certain amounts of gross income or proceeds from the general excise and use tax and requires the payment of both taxes at 4 percent.
» SB 1040: Increases the civil penalty amounts and additional criminal fines for violations of the Hawaii occupational safety and health law.
» SB 1068: Provides that killing, or attempting to kill, the pet animal of another person without that person’s consent constitutes animal cruelty in the first degree.
» SB 1069: Establishes the offense of cruelty to animals by fighting dogs in the second degree. Increases penalty for cruelty to animals by fighting dogs in the first degree. Clarifies dog fighting and animal cruelty laws.
» SB 1076: Makes it unlawful for any employer or labor organization with more than 100 employees and a collective bargaining agreement to bar or discharge from employment, withhold pay from or demote an employee solely because the employee uses accrued and available sick leave.
» SB 1186: Applies a daily transient accommodations tax to each transient accommodation furnished on a complimentary or gratuitous basis, or otherwise at no charge. Imposes for four years a ceiling on the amount of TAT funds transferred to the tourism special fund and to the counties.
» SB 1241: Repeals conveyance tax exemption for low-income housing projects certified by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.
» SB 1300: Amends the composition of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation board to add an at-large member appointed by the governor and give voting rights to the director of health.
» SB 1328: Increases the motor vehicle registration fee to $45 from $25 and deposits a portion into the general fund.
» SB 1329: Increases the state motor vehicle weight tax by 1 cent to 1.75 cents per pound for vehicles up to 4,000 pounds. Additional increases for heavier vehicles.
» SB 1394: Authorizes the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to enter into contracts with developers to develop public housing projects in exchange for commercial space in the project.
» SB 1555: Establishes the public land development corporation to administer an appropriate and culturally sensitive public land development program.
Sources: Legislative Reference Bureau, Office of the Governor
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