HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2025
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Rep. Gregg Takayama, Chair |
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Rep. Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Vice Chair |
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Rep. Terez Amato |
Rep. Jenna Takenouchi |
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Rep. Cory M. Chun |
Rep. David Alcos III |
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Rep. Lisa Marten |
Rep. Diamond Garcia |
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Rep. Ikaika Olds |
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AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 |
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TIME: |
9:00AM |
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PLACE: |
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE Conference Room 329 State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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A M E N D E D A G E N D A
The following measure(s) has been DELETED from the agenda: SB642 SD2
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MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR CONSTRUCTION DEFECT REMEDIATION AT THE HAWAII STATE HOSPITAL. Makes an emergency appropriation to the Department of Health to fund construction defect remediation of the Hale Ho`ola Building of the Hawaii State Hospital, including the payment of legal fees and costs for special deputy attorneys general. Declares that the general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2024-2025 has been exceeded. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, FIN |
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RELATING TO CHANGES TO RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CONCERNING PATIENTS, THE COUNTY OF KALAWAO, AND THE KALAUPAPA SETTLEMENT. Establishes the Kalaupapa State Historical Area. Authorizes the Department of Health to continue providing services statewide to Hansen's disease patients living in the community. Repeals sections of Chapter 326, Hawaii Revised Statutes, upon the 1-year anniversary of the passing of the last patient resident of Kalaupapa as affirmed in the Governor's proclamation. Requires the Department of Health to include community organizations in the transition planning team. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, WAL, FIN |
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RELATING TO FITNESS TO PROCEED. Clarifies the term of commitment for a defendant being held at a hospital or mental health facility for a fitness-to-proceed examination. Clarifies who may serve as a qualified examiner. Reduces the number of qualified examiners required for a fitness-to-proceed examination in a felony case from 3 to 1. Establishes the rate of compensation for conducting the examinations. Establishes a reduced penalty, except in certain circumstances, for a person who commits the offense of escape in the second degree while in the custody of the Director of Health. Sunsets the amendments to subsection 707-404(2) on 12/31/26. (SD2)
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HLT, JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS. Prohibits persons from operating a medical cannabis dispensary or cultivating cannabis without a license from the Department of Health. Prohibits individuals from providing certain services to individuals engaging in unlicensed cannabis operations. Requires the Department of Health to send a cease and desist notice to violators. Establishes criminal penalties. Establishes an affirmative defense for, and a conclusive basis for certain violations. Establishes exceptions. Establishes a cannabis cultivator license to authorize the cultivation and distribution of cannabis plants. Requires the Department of Health to only issue one cannabis cultivator license for each person. Establishes limits on: (1) the number of cannabis cultivator licenses the Department of Health may issue; (2) the maximum size of plant canopy for indoor and outdoor cultivations for each cannabis cultivator license; and (3) the maximum plant count of mature cannabis plants for each cannabis cultivator license. Authorizes expenditures from the Medical Cannabis Registry and Regulation Special Fund to fund programs for the mitigation and abatement of nuisances relating to chapter 329D, HRS. Appropriates funds out of the Medical Cannabis Registry and Regulation Special Fund for the Department of Attorney General to enforce, and mitigate nuisances relating to, chapter 329D, HRS. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS. Authorizes the Department of Health to issue notices of violations, impose administrative penalties, and issue cease-and-desist and corrective action orders for violations of medical cannabis laws. Retroactively repeals the sunset date of the authorization for primary caregivers to cultivate medical cannabis for their qualifying patients. Increases the number of qualifying patients a primary caregiver is authorized to care for from one to five patients. Establishes that each location used by primary caregivers to cultivate cannabis can be used to cultivate cannabis for not more than five qualifying patients. Extends the effective date of interim rules adopted by the Department of Health pursuant to section 329D-27, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to 7/1/2027. Extends the sunset date for the exemption from civil service of personnel hired by or contracts entered into by the Department of Health pursuant to Act 241, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, to 6/30/2027. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, CPC, JHA |
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RELATING TO TELEHEALTH. Updates the State's laws on telehealth services to conform with federal Medicare regulations. Requires the Insurance Commissioner to report to the Legislature on reimbursements claimed in the previous year for certain telehealth services. Repeals the sunset date of Act 107, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE INTERSTATE MEDICAL LICENSURE COMPACT. Authorizes the Hawaii Medical Board as the State of Principal License to investigate and request criminal history records of qualified physicians seeking licensing through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Appropriates funds. Effective 07/01/2025.
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HLT, CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. Requires health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to reduce an enrollee's defined cost sharing for a prescription drug by a price amount equal to at least one hundred per cent of all rebates received, or to be received, in connection with the dispensing or administration of the prescription drug. Requires a pharmacy benefit manager to submit a certification to the Insurance Commissioner by January 1 of each calendar year certifying compliance with the cost sharing requirements. Establishes protections for the publishing of certain confidential or proprietary information by health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, or plan sponsors that perform health care or administrative services on behalf of a health insurer or pharmacy benefit manager. Requires that the final reimbursement paid to a pharmacy by a pharmacy benefit manager shall be in an amount not less than the national average drug acquisition cost for the prescription drug at the time the drug is dispensed, plus a professional dispensing fee in an amount not less than the most recent Hawaii Medicaid dispensing fee as approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Prohibits a pharmacy benefit manager from offering reimbursement rates or incentives to a non-affiliated pharmacy in an amount less than those offered to an affiliated pharmacy for providing the same prescription drug. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)
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HLT, CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO A DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PILOT PROGRAM. Establishes a hiring pilot program within the Department of Health, which includes an amended hiring procedure for delegated position classifications, certain flexibilities regarding minimum qualifications for positions having a salary range at or below SR-10, the ability to directly hire certain individuals into a civil service position if certain conditions are met, and the authority to make certain temporary appointments at the merited civil service pay scale without step limitation. Applies to recruitments initiated before 7/1/2028. Requires annual reports to the Legislature.
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HLT, LAB, FIN |
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RELATING TO HEARING AIDS. Requires health insurance policies and contracts issued on or after 1/1/2026 to provide optional coverage for the cost of hearing aids at a minimum $1,500 per hearing aid for each hearing-impaired ear every thirty-six months. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE. Beginning 1/1/2026, requires all health insurers in the State, excluding Medicaid managed care programs, to cover the cost of continuous glucose monitors and related supplies under certain conditions. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, CPC, FIN |
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RELATING TO PRIOR AUTHORIZATION OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES. Requires any utilization review entity in the State to submit to the State Health Planning and Development Agency data relating to prior authorization of health care services. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)
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HLT, CPC |
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RELATING TO MEDICAL DEBT. Requires the Office of Wellness and Resilience to develop, implement, and administer a Medical Debt Acquisition and Forgiveness Program to acquire and forgive medical debt owed by certain households in the State. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD2)
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HLT, CPC, FIN |
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DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW
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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) 586-6120.
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________________________________________ Rep. Gregg Takayama Chair |
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