House advances omnibus batch of standing-committee reports; voice vote carries

Representative Bob Todd moved to adopt standing committee report numbers 632 through 794; Representative Madeline Morikawa seconded the motion. After debate on several items earlier in the session, members proceeded to a voice vote and the clerk said the motion was carried.

The omnibus motion covered many separate measures that were discussed at various lengths on the floor. Notable items debated earlier in the session included: a bill limiting single-use toiletry plastics in hotels (standing committee report 664), a measure setting a minimum transient accommodations tax (TAT) charge for reservations paid with points or rewards (report 669), a proposal to fund kohale (village-style) housing initiatives including a referenced $50 million ask (report 765), a midwife-licensure bill that included broad exemptions for traditional Hawaiian practices (report 794), a proposal to legalize a form of gambling that drew opposition (report 791), and legislation tied to Maui wildfire follow-up and placement/duties for the state fire marshal (discussed in conjunction with report numbers in the 680s).

Floor remarks show a range of positions. Representative Pirrck (floor spelling in transcript: "Pirric") objected to the plastics bill on free‑market grounds, while Representative Tam and other supporters said many hoteliers already have switched to refillable dispensers and that the bill reduces plastic waste. Representative Shimizu expressed concern about the scale of a proposed tourist-fee increase and asked for further review; Representative Tam clarified that the measure on the floor (as written at that time) applied to reservations paid with points or rewards and would require a $20 minimum charge per night when no TAT otherwise applied. The kohale/homelessness funding drew prolonged floor debate by members who both opposed the $50 million allocation as an unfair permanent subsidy and by members who described the program as a service‑oriented housing investment meant to help residents obtain stable housing and supports. The midwife-licensure discussion included extended remarks about preserving traditional Hawaiian practices while creating certified pathways for licensed midwives.

The clerk recorded 46 members present and five excused at the session start; the voice vote at the close of the floor sequence was announced as carried. Individual roll-call tallies for the omnibus package were not recorded in the transcript supplied; multiple members asked that their reservations or written comments be entered in the journal for specific reports.

Because the motion adopted a package of standing committee reports rather than a single bill text on the floor, the adopted action advances the listed measures to the next procedural step indicated in each report. Where members noted reservations or asked to insert written comments, those reservations were entered for the record by the clerk.

Members who spoke on the floor during the day included Representative Todd (mover), Representative Morikawa (second), Representative Pirrck, Representative Tam, Representative Shimizu, Representative Pierrick, Representative Martin, Representative Souza, Representative Cappella and others; their remarks on specific reports are summarized above and in the individual articles that follow.