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Council members outline priorities for 2027 HSAC package, including aquarium‑trade ban and renewable energy proposals
Summary
Councilmembers discussed items for the Hawaii State Association of Counties 2027 legislative package and asked colleagues to submit draft bill language by the second meeting in August; members raised priorities including an aquarium fish‑trade ban, limits on herbicide use, state support for solar on public facilities, and protections against state preemption on county land‑use authority.
Councilmembers used the HSAC‑package agenda item on July 22 to sketch the county’s 2027 legislative priorities and to set a schedule for drafting bill language.
Councilmember Renata Inaba said her office will resubmit a bill to ban the aquarium fish trade statewide, and asked other counties to pass similar resolutions as a joint voice. “We’ll submit it as part of the package,” she said.
Councilmember Heather L. Kimball asked colleagues to share priorities and submit draft language to her office; Kimball noted the package will be assembled into a resolution for the second committee meeting in August and then transmitted to the HSAC executive committee for review. She also flagged state preemption and data‑center land‑use concerns and said the general excise tax renewal will be an important issue for counties.
Other members proposed topics for inclusion: Councilmember Villegas urged action on county and state herbicide practices and said narrowing lists of restricted chemicals had left the county using possibly more harmful products; Councilmember Connie Lee Kleinfelder proposed pursuing state studies and incentives for solar on state facilities to reduce long‑term taxpayer costs; Councilmember Kirkowitz advocated audits of business‑facing agencies to find statutory or administrative fixes that ease small‑business burdens.
Kimball said members should submit draft bill text by the stated deadline so the committee can present a consolidated resolution at the second meeting in August.
