HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI -- Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Chair Jarrett Keohokalole (District 24 – Kāneʻohe, Kailua) announced today that Senate Bill 3000 passed out of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection following the postponement of Monday’s hearing. The measure addresses insurance market stability in the face of climate-related impacts and establishes consumer protections in Hawaiʻi. SB3000 addresses this growing instability of Hawaiʻi’s property and casualty insurance market driven by increasingly severe climate disasters like the 2023 Lahaina Wildfires. It recognizes the sharp rise in insurance nonrenewals and premiums statewide and aims to hold corporations that knowingly contributed to climate change accountable for the increasing costs to consumers. The bill authorizes the Attorney General, as well as certain state-backed and private insurers, to bring civil actions against responsible parties to recover costs and losses attributable to climate-related harm. The intent is to protect insurance market stability, preserve access to affordable coverage, and ensure that the financial burden of climate disasters is not borne solely by residents, policyholders, or taxpayers. “Without a doubt, the increasing incidence of really devastating natural disaster events is what’s driving the insurance crisis. Whose fault is that? We know.” Keohokalole said. “Residents shouldn’t have to pay for the risk mitigation of private entities, full stop. It’s time for a comeuppance.” Chair Keohokalole emphasized the importance of thoughtful policymaking in areas that directly affect consumers and the broader public interest, noting that the measure reflects the Legislature’s responsibility to respond to evolving industries while prioritizing the well-being of Hawaiʻi’s communities.

HONOLULU, HAWAI'I -- Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Chair Jarrett Keohokalole (District 24 – Kāneʻohe, Kailua) announced today that Senate Bill 2471 and Senate Bill 2829 have passed out of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. The measures clarify the scope of powers granted to corporations and other artificial entities under state law, particularly with respect to political spending in elections and ballot measures. SB 2471 reaffirms that political power in Hawaiʻi belongs to the people, not to corporations or other artificial entities created by the state. While individuals retain full constitutional rights to free speech, association, and political participation, corporations exist solely by authority granted by the state. As such, the Legislature retains the authority to define and limit the powers conferred upon these entities. “Corporations are not people, and do not enjoy the inherent right to influence our elections” said Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, Chair of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. “This measure draws a clear line between the constitutional rights of individuals and the privileges granted to corporations.” Current state law broadly authorizes corporations to exercise “the same powers as an individual to do all things necessary or convenient to carry out its business and affairs.” SB 2471 clarifies that these grants of authority were never intended to include the power to spend money or contribute anything of value to influence elections or ballot measures. The bill explicitly limits corporate powers to conducting lawful business and organizational activities, while preserving the full political rights of natural persons. “While corporations are a useful way to limit investor risk and drive the economy, the State is under no legal obligation to allow for their creation,” said Senate Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads. “We have every right to limit the vast amounts of corporate money that pour into our political system. “ Senate Bill 2829 builds upon these principles by further reaffirming that corporations and other artificial entities possess only those powers necessary or convenient to carry out lawful business, charitable, or organizational purposes under state law. The measure clarifies that political spending authority was never intended to be among those powers and reinforces the Legislature’s ability to redefine and limit corporate authority in the interest of public welfare. Together, SB 2471 and SB 2829 reinforce the distinction between the constitutional rights of individuals and the privileges granted to state-created entities, ensuring that Hawaiʻi’s democratic processes remain centered on the voices of its people. “Ensuring public confidence in our elections requires clear distinctions between the rights of individuals and the powers granted to state-created entities, and these measures reinforce those boundaries in state law,” Keohokalole added. The Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee held public hearings on both measures on Tuesday, February 10. The bills passed with amendments and now advance to the Senate Judiciary Committee. ###

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI -- Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs Chair Glenn Wakai (District 15 – Kalihi, Māpunapuna, Airport, Salt Lake, Āliamanu, Foster Village, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, and portions of ‘Aiea and Pearl City) announced the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 3326 , legislation establishing a state policy framework to restructure Hawaiʻi’s electric industry by separating electric generation from transmission and distribution (T&D). The measure advances amid continued power outages, increasing wildfire risk, aging infrastructure, and Hawaiʻi’s persistently high electricity costs — the highest in the nation. The Legislature identified the affordability of electric service as a paramount public interest concern. Volatile and elevated energy costs continue to burden households, small businesses, hospitals, schools, and critical services, contributing to cost-of-living pressures and economic strain statewide. SB3326 sets a structural policy direction requiring electric generation to be separately owned and controlled from transmission and distribution services. Transmission and distribution would remain regulated monopoly services under Hawaiian Electric and subject to oversight by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), while generation would operate under independent ownership and open competition. “We pay more than two times the national average for electricity in Hawaii. That is hampering business growth and pushing people to leave our state,” said Chair Wakai. “Affordability of electric service is a paramount public interest. This bill creates clarity and focus — allowing the utility to concentrate on keeping the grid safe, reliable, and resilient, while competition drives efficiency and innovation in electricity generation. Doing nothing is not an option.” Legislative findings conclude that constraints in transmission and distribution capacity — along with procurement delays — have slowed renewable deployment, limited rooftop solar and storage interconnections, and contributed to outages and public safety concerns. Hawaiʻi also continues to rely on aging generation facilities, increasing long-term cost pressures on ratepayers. Under SB3326: Transmission and distribution remain fully regulated to ensure reliability, consumer protection, and reasonable rates. The Public Utilities Commission is directed to oversee an orderly, transparent rulemaking process to implement the transition. Generation must be separately owned and operated, opening the sector to transparent competition. Existing power purchase agreements and financing protections are preserved. Workforce continuity, ratepayer protections, wildfire mitigation, and system reliability must be addressed through implementation. Electric cooperatives, including Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), are excluded. The bill does not immediately restructure the utility. Instead, it directs the PUC to conduct a comprehensive public rulemaking to design an orderly, phased transition that maintains reliability and financial stability. “We are modernizing aging infrastructure, addressing wildfire risk, and integrating more renewable energy — all while customers are paying too much,” Wakai added. “Public safety and reliability live on the grid, and that is where this bill puts the focus. By separating generation from transmission and distribution, we can strengthen oversight, improve accountability, accelerate clean energy, and modernize Hawaiʻi’s electric system for the long term.” SB3326 passed second reading and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. ###

Bill to construct more ohana units passes Senate committee Star Advertiser Mia Anzalone March 12, 2025 Original Article The state Senate’s Housing Committee deferred a bill Tuesday that would have paid Hawaii homeowners and homebuyers to restrict occupants to locally employed residents, instead approving a bill to promote the construction of more accessory dwelling units, commonly known as ohana units, for workforce housing. House Bill 740 would establish the Accessory Dwelling Unit Financing and Deed Restriction Program to provide funding to the counties to distribute grants to eligible homeowners or homebuyers to construct ADUs with the condition that occupants of the property, including those living in primary or secondary units, must be employed, or use to be employed, at least 30 hours per week at a local business. The amended version of HB 740 defines ADUs as a “second dwelling unit that includes its own kitchen, bedroom and bathroom facilities, and is attached or detached from the primary dwelling unit.” The Senate’s approval of the measure ended the momentum for HB 739, which would have established the Kama‘aina Homes Program allowing counties to pay homeowners or homebuyers a sum of money under the condition that the home be occupied by at least one owner-occupant or tenant who works, or used to work, at a local business for at least 30 hours a week. Sen. Stanley Chang (D, Hawaii Kai-Kahala-Diamond Head), who chairs the Senate Housing Committee, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Tuesday that HB 740 will be the “vehicle” for advancing the goals of both bills to increase the inventory of affordable workplace housing. At Tuesday’s public hearing, Chang said he appreciates the efforts to encourage more ADUs in Hawaii and wants the state to focus on the construction of new units rather than converting existing ones. “We need to shift away from a model where the state gives away money and never gets it back,” Chang said at the hearing. “The state needs to act as an investor that realizes a gain, an appreciation on the investment of its funds, which are, after all, taxpayer funds.” While both bills worked to enable the creation of more housing for the local workforce, Chang told the Star-Advertiser that HB 740 is one potential solution to creating low-cost financing for ADU construction statewide. “If the state spends a lot of money and no new housing is built, then I don’t think we’re getting any closer to solving the housing shortage,” he said. Chang noted during the hearing that similar grant programs already exist, citing Maui County’s ‘Ohana Assistance Pilot Project, which launched in July and provides grants of up to $100,000 to homeowners to design and construct attached or detached ADUs with a 10-year deed restriction to provide workforce housing. HB 740 is supported by a number of organizations, including the Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice. In written testimony the center’s director of housing policy, Arjuna Heim, said the bill addresses financial barriers to constructing ADUs, which typically cost about $250 to $350 per square foot to build. The deed restriction, which was also a feature of the deferred HB 739, is a key aspect of HB 740, according to Heim. “The deed restriction requirements ensuring occupancy by local workers, maintaining employment within the county, demonstrate a thoughtful approach to preserving housing for Hawai‘i’s working families,” Heim said in written testimony. “This helps prevent the conversion of these units to vacation rentals or investment properties and help establish a locals-only market.” Joshua Wisch, president and executive director of the nonprofit Holomua Collaborative, which focuses on making Hawaii more affordable for working families, was a staunch supporter of HB 739 and said he was disappointed the bill was deferred. “We’ll have to see what was retained in the Senate draft before we can determine any future support,” Wisch said in a statement to the Star-Advertiser. “We still believe (the Kama‘aina Homes Program) can help create a dedicated and permanent housing supply for local working families, and are already exploring ways to lift the program up at a county level, come back to the Legislature next session or find other avenues to pursue it,” he said. A 2023 report by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found that 20% of Hawaii residents had enough income to afford a single-family home costing $875,000. Another recent study by Holomua Collaborative, which surveyed 1,500 local workers with middle- to upper-middle incomes, found that 70% of respondents said they will or might relocate to a less expensive state in the coming years, with housing costs a major issue. Twenty-seven percent said they would move out of Hawaii within the next five years.

Lawmakers get update on Hawaiʻi biosecurity plan, first industry partnership in development Maui Now November 8, 2025 Original Article The Senate Committee on Ways and Means received an update from the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB) on efforts to bolster Hawaiʻi’s biosecurity network to protect local agriculture, people and natural resources from pests and invasive species. The briefing at Green Point Nursery in Hilo included representatives from multiple state agencies working under Act 236 (2025), which directs the creation of a coordinated biosecurity system. Discussions focused on the delivery of pest management plans and a biosecurity dashboard, declaration of biosecurity emergencies and developments of transitional facilities. The department also discussed progress toward establishing Government-Industry Agreements—public-private partnerships that share decision-making and costs to advance biosecurity. DAB said it is exploring a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Floriculture and Nursery Association to create what would be the state’s first such agreement for biosecurity. “Nurseries are a cornerstone of Hilo’s economy, and their success depends on our ability to keep pests like the little fire ant in check,” said Sen. Lorraine R. Inouye, who chairs the Senate Committee on Water and Land, in a public release Thursday. “The collaboration between DAB and the Hawaiʻi Floriculture and Nursery Association is the kind of proactive partnership we need to keep our growers resilient and our communities safe.” Recent legislation, Act 231 (2024) and Act 236 (2025), appropriated $10 million supporting biosecurity initiatives and authorized Hawaiʻi to emulate its network after New Zealand’s system, considered one of the world’s most effective.

REMINDER: Community invited to wildfire preparedness and mitigation town hall Kauai Now October 15, 2025 Original Article Kauaʻi’s delegation of state lawmakers and other Hawaiʻi and local officials are hosting a Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Town Hall from 5:30 to 7 p.m. today. The town hall will be conducted at Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center AND FEATURE: Hawaiʻi Senate President Ronald Kouchi. Hawaiʻi Speaker of the House Nadine Nakamura. Hawaiʻi House Majority Leader Dee Morikawa. Hawaiʻi House Committee on Housing Chairman Luke Evslin. Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Pickett. Hawaiʻi State Fire Marshal Dorothy Booth. Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency Administrator Elton Ushio. Kauaʻi Fire Department Chief Michael Gibson. Garden Island residents are invited to join the discussion, during which OFFICIALS WILL TALK ABOUT: New state legislation and funding. Insights from the deadly 2023 wildfire in Lahaina, Maui, and the July 2024 Kaumakani wildfire that burned more than 1.5 square miles of land on Kauaʻi. Steps residents and landowners can take together to strengthen Kauaʻi’s resilience. The evening will feature a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session with the expert panel. Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center is located at 4475-F Nūhou St. in Līhuʻe. The town hall is in partnership with Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency and Kauaʻi Fire Department.