HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2025
|
Rep. Scot Z. Matayoshi, Chair |
|
Rep. Cory M. Chun, Vice Chair |
|
Rep. Greggor Ilagan |
Rep. Nicole E. Lowen |
|
Rep. Linda Ichiyama |
Rep. Lisa Marten |
|
Rep. Kim Coco Iwamoto |
Rep. Adrian K. Tam |
|
Rep. Sam Satoru Kong |
Rep. Elijah Pierick |
AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING
|
DATE: |
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 |
|
TIME: |
2:00PM |
|
PLACE: |
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE Conference Room 329 State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
Click here to submit testimony and to testify remotely or in person.
A live stream link of all House Standing Committee meetings will be available online
shortly before the scheduled start time.
Click here for the live stream of this meeting via YouTube.
A M E N D E D A G E N D A
The following measure(s) has been ADDED to the agenda: SB332 SD1 HD1, SB1100 SD2 HD1
|
RELATING TO ELECTRIC UTILITIES. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to consider whether approving a proposed merger or acquisition would or would not further the State's renewable energy goals. Prohibits the acquiring entity of an electric utility company from terminating or attempting to renegotiate any existing and valid power purchase agreements and requires the acquiring entity to assume and be bound by existing collective bargaining agreements and retain all covered employees. Establishes a process to ensure that when an electric utility is subject to an application for a proposed acquisition, merger, or consolidation by a potential acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility and seeks approval of the application from the Public Utilities Commission, the electric utility shall demonstrate that it solicited bids from potential acquiring entities that operate under a non-investor-owned utility ownership model. Requires the electric utility to submit acceptable bids from a potential acquiring entity operating under a non-investor-owned utility ownership model concurrently with an application by a potential acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility and the Public Utilities Commission to review those applications concurrently. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EEP, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO RENEWABLE GAS TARIFF. Requires gas utility companies to submit proposed renewable gas tariffs to the Public Utilities Commission by 8/31/2025. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a renewable gas tariff within nine months of receiving a completed application for a proposed renewable gas tariff. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EEP, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ELECTRIC UTILITIES. Authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to appoint a receiver to take temporary action necessary to assure continued adequate electric services from failing regulated investor-owned electric utilities. Requires an appointed receiver to recognize and maintain the terms and conditions of any existing collective bargaining agreement and prohibits the receiver from inducing or causing a reduction in force, or terminating a covered employee, other than for a cause consistent with any collective bargaining agreement. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EEP/LAB, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ENERGY ASSISTANCE. Establishes the Hawaii Home Energy Assistance Program within the Department of Human Services to assist eligible households in paying their energy bills. Requires the Public Utilities Commission Public Benefits Fee Administrator to provide certain information and assistance to recipients of the program. Establishes positions. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EEP/HSH, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES. Appropriates funds to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for continued exploration and identification of geothermal resources and commercial viability for utility-scale geothermal production in counties with a population of less than 300,000. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EEP/ECD, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY. Establishes an installation goal for customer-sited distributed energy resources in the State. Authorizes retail wheeling of renewable energy and requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish policies and procedures to implement retail wheeling and microgrid service tariffs. Ensures that certain levels of compensation are provided for solar and energy storage exports from customer-sited distributed energy resources that are part of grid service programs. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
EEP, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO THE INTERSTATE MEDICAL LICENSURE COMPACT. Authorizes the Hawaii Medical Board, as a state of principal license, to investigate and request criminal history records of qualified physicians seeking licensure or license renewal through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HLT, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS. Authorizes the Department of Health to impose penalties and take enforcement actions for violations of the medical cannabis laws. Retroactively repeals the prohibition against primary caregivers cultivating medical cannabis for their qualifying patients. Authorizes primary caregivers to cultivate cannabis in an amount not to exceed an adequate supply for the qualifying patient. Extends for two years the effective date of certain interim rules adopted by the Department of Health. Extends for four years the sunset date for the exemption from civil service of personnel hired by, or contracts entered into by, the Department of Health. Effective 12/31/2050. (HD1)
|
HLT, CPC, JHA |
|
|
RELATING TO TELEHEALTH. Extends the sunset date of Act 107, SLH 2023, which allows for the reimbursement of services provided through telehealth via an interactive telecommunications system, until 12/31/2027. Effective 12/31/2050. (HD1)
|
HLT, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. Requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study on best practices for the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers and reduction in prescription drug costs for health insurance plan beneficiaries. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 12/31/2050. (HD1)
|
HLT, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO FORECLOSURES. Prohibits sellers of foreclosed homes from bundling properties at a public sale and requires each foreclosed home to be sold separately. Specifies that the sale of a foreclosed property is not final until either fifteen days after the public sale or forty-five days if an eligible bidder submits a subsequent bid or written notice of intent to submit a subsequent bid. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HSG, CPC, JHA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DECISION MAKING
The following measure(s) were previously heard on March 18, 2025. No public testimony will be accepted.
|
RELATING TO BIOSECURITY. Part II: Renames the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (Department). Part III: Establishes a Deputy Chairperson for Biosecurity. Part IV: Requires the Department to establish an emergency response team to respond to biosecurity events. Part V: Authorizes the Department to establish transitional facilities. Requires the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to license and train biosecurity inspectors. Requires inspection of various items transported interisland. Increases penalties for illegally transporting plants, animals, and microorganisms. Part VI: Requires the Department to establish government‑industry agreements to detect and respond to unwanted organisms in Hawaii. Authorizes pest management plans to address, contain, or eradicate pests. Part VII: Authorizes the Department to adopt rules to establish and enforce the Plant Care Component Program. Authorizes the Department to assess administrative penalties for the enforcement of the program. Part VIII: Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
AGR, CPC, FIN |
|
|
|
|
|
DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW
Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Testimony received after this time will be stamped late and left to the discretion of the chair to consider. While every effort will be made to incorporate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed, may not be processed.
Testimony submitted will be placed on the legislative website. This public posting of testimony on the website should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.
The chair may institute a per-testifier time limit.
Committees meeting in the morning must adjourn prior to the day's Floor Session. Therefore, due to time constraints, not all testifiers may be provided an opportunity to offer verbal comments. However, written submissions will be considered by the committee.
Please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior. Violations may result in ejection from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.
For remote testifiers, the House will not be responsible for bad connections on the testifier's end.
For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.
The livestream and/or cable TV broadcast of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation (including oral, written, or ASL interpretive services) or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee clerk at (808) 586-8471 Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.
Click here for a complete list of House Guidelines for remote testimony.
FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are bolded.
For more information, please contact the Committee Clerk at (808) 586-8471.
|
|
|
________________________________________ Rep. Scot Z. Matayoshi Chair |
|
|
|
|