Senate Commerce Committee advances consumer protection, health and energy bills; defers three measures

The Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection met on Feb. 20, 2025, in Conference Room 229 for a decision-making agenda and recommended passage or deferral on a slate of bills covering utilities, health insurance, education and recycling.

Committee members advanced multiple measures, including bills to authorize electricity wheeling between state facilities, create a working group on end-of-life lithium-ion battery management, require insurers to cover continuous glucose monitors (with limitations), and authorize limited volunteer administration of medication in Department of Education schools. The committee deferred three measures for further consideration at a Feb. 25, 2025 decision-making session.

Why it matters: The package touches several consumer-facing areas — energy infrastructure, medical device coverage, school health administration and waste management — and includes provisions that could adjust utility regulation and insurance coverage if taken up by the full Senate.

Key actions and items

- SB 21, SD1 (water carriers): Committee recommended passage with amendments adopting a Public Utilities Commission (PUC) amendment changing an authority from mandatory to permissive, plus technical corrections and a defective effective date. Recorded votes during the item's consideration included the chair and vice chair voting aye, with Senators McKelvey and Awa recorded as voting yes; Senator Richards was excused. The measure was adopted by the committee.

- SB 133, SD1 (energy; state facility wheeling): Recommendation to pass with amendments adopting PUC recommendations and deferring the effective date to July 1, 2050. The committee passed the measure with the chair recording an aye vote; the measure was adopted.

- SB 391, SD1 (recycling; end-of-life lithium-ion battery working group): Committee recommended passage as introduced. The chair and vice chair recorded support and the committee adopted the measure.

- SB 532, SD1 (Department of Education; volunteer administration of medication): Recommendation to pass with amendments, including adoption of amendments proposed by the Hawaii State Center for Nursing and technical corrections. The committee passed the measure with the chair and vice chair recorded as supporting the motion; the measure was adopted.

- SB 588, SD1 (renewable energy; behind-the-meter customer-sited systems): Because of testimony received, the committee recommended deferral of this measure until Feb. 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in Conference Room 229.

- SB 838 (health insurance; continuous glucose monitors): The committee recommended passage with amendments adopting proposed Department of Human Services changes and a defective effective date of July 1, 2050. A committee member noted support but asked that future consideration examine Medicaid coverage. The chair and vice chair recorded aye votes; Senators McAfee and Owa were also recorded voting yes. The measure was adopted.

- SB 1230, SD1 (meat donation; wild game): Recommendation to pass with technical, non-substantive amendments and a defective effective date of July 1, 2050. The committee adopted the measure.

- SB 1279, SD1 (pharmacists; supervision via telehealth for federal 340B drug pricing program purposes): Recommendation to pass with a defective effective date of July 1, 2050. The committee adopted the measure.

- SB 1281, SD1 (telehealth conformity with federal Medicare regulations): The committee recommended deferring action on this measure until Feb. 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in Conference Room 229.

- SB 1449 (prior authorization data reporting): The committee recommended deferring action until Feb. 25, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in Conference Room 229.

- SB 1494, SD1 (hearing aids; optional insurance coverage): Recommendation to pass with technical, non-substantive changes and insertion of a defective effective date of July 1, 2050. The committee adopted the measure.

Votes at a glance

- SB 21, SD1 — Pass with amendments (adopted); recorded aye votes: Chair, Vice Chair, Senator McKelvey, Senator Awa; Senator Richards excused. - SB 133, SD1 — Pass with amendments (adopted); chair recorded aye. - SB 391, SD1 — Pass as is (adopted); chair and vice chair recorded support. - SB 532, SD1 — Pass with amendments (adopted); chair and vice chair recorded support. - SB 588, SD1 — Deferred to Feb. 25, 2025, 9:30 a.m. - SB 838 — Pass with amendments (adopted); recorded yes votes: Chair, Vice Chair, Senator McAfee, Senator Owa. One member requested future consideration of Medicaid eligibility for CGMs. - SB 1230, SD1 — Pass with amendments (adopted). - SB 1279, SD1 — Pass with defective effective date (adopted). - SB 1281, SD1 — Deferred to Feb. 25, 2025, 9:30 a.m. - SB 1449 — Deferred to Feb. 25, 2025, 9:30 a.m. - SB 1494, SD1 — Pass with amendments (adopted).

What the committee did not do

- The committee deferred SB 588, SB 1281 and SB 1449 for further consideration on Feb. 25, 2025. Several other measures moved forward with committee recommendations to the full Senate; where specific vote tallies beyond the chair and vice chair were not read into the record during each item, the committee clerk recorded the measures as adopted.

Next steps

Measures recommended for passage will be reported out of the committee and referred to the full Senate for further consideration according to chamber rules. Deferred measures are scheduled for the committee’s Feb. 25, 2025 decision-making session in Conference Room 229 at 9:30 a.m.

(Reporting based on the Feb. 20, 2025 Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection decision-making transcript.)