Senate Committee on Judiciary advances 12 bills, including campaign childcare and permit timelines

The Senate Committee on Judiciary on its decision-making agenda advanced 12 bills, approving the chair's recommendation on each measure.

The panel approved a proposal to make explicit that campaign funds can be used for a candidate’s childcare and vital household dependent care costs under certain conditions. "This allows campaign funds to be used for a candidate's childcare and vital household dependent care costs under certain conditions," the Unidentified Chair said; the committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass the bill unamended.

Members also approved safety and accessibility measures. The committee passed a bill requiring all moped drivers to wear safety helmets regardless of age, and another requiring skateboard users under age 16 to wear helmets. On administrative accessibility, the committee passed a bill that would require state agencies, beginning 01/01/2027, to post the full text of their rules on the Office of the Attorney General's website “in a digitally accessible and searchable format that meets or exceeds certain federal standards,” as the chair summarized.

The panel cleared a pedestrian-related bill that would allow a pedestrian to act contrary to the statewide traffic code if a reasonably careful pedestrian determines there is no immediate danger and the pedestrian is more than 200 feet from a crosswalk. It also approved a measure that prohibits vessels longer than 75 feet from entering Hanalei Bay and a bill increasing penalties and fees for taking or killing indigenous aquatic life, wildlife, and native land plants.

The committee accepted attorney general suggestions to amend a solicitation-of-funds bill: deleting a proposed new provision and requiring charitable organizations and fundraising platforms to file written contracts with the department before commencing solicitations with the state. The chair noted prior concurrence to accept those AG-recommended changes; the committee passed the bill with the two amendments.

On language and governance matters, the committee passed a judiciary-sponsored amendment to a bill to make a Hawaiian-language version of a law binding if the law was originally drafted in Hawaiian and meets specified criteria. It also passed a bill clarifying quorum rules for the stadium authority (requiring a majority of voting members for quorum and a majority to concur on actions) and a measure reducing island burial council membership from nine to seven while removing a requirement to include members with development and large-property-owner interests.

The committee debated a bill requiring counties to grant building permits within 60 days of a completed application stamped and certified by a licensed engineer and architect, among other conditions. After discussion about whether to give the measure a 'bad date' for procedural reasons, the committee set a bad date of 04/23/2057 and passed the bill with an amendment.

Finally, the panel took up a deferred bill addressing offenses against public health and morals. Committee attorneys advised clarifying that "profits from prostitution" includes money or property accepted or received from prostitution proceeds even when accepted as reimbursement or repayment of a debt; the committee passed that bill with the suggested text changes.

Throughout the session the committee speaker (the chair) repeatedly framed each item as the "chair's recommendation" and the clerk read votes and noted excused absences. Individual roll-call tallies were not read in full in the transcript; a small number of named no votes were recorded during roll call exchanges. After completing the 9:45 decision-making agenda, the committee planned to meet with the Ways and Means Committee upstairs at 10:15.

The measures now proceed according to the legislature’s next steps (committee transmittal or scheduling in subsequent chambers), as applicable.