Lawmakers in Hawaii set to cast ballots on approximately 200 legislative proposals this week.
Hawaii lawmakers are gearing up to cast their final votes on Wednesday, focusing on over 200 bills, including measures to tackle the issue of illegal fireworks. Among these bills are:
- HB 1483: This bill introduces stricter penalties for fireworks offenders. Repeat offenders within a decade and those causing injuries will face class-C felony charges, and sending/receiving fireworks by air becomes a class-B felony for repeat offenses or those involving 25 pounds or more.[1][2][5]
- HB 550: This legislation allows law enforcement to use drone footage from public property to establish probable cause for fireworks-related arrests.[1][2][3]
- SB 222: This bill extends the operations of the Illegal Fireworks Task Force to June 2030.[1]
Additionally, the legislature is discussing bills that:
- Prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste facilities near or above "significant aquifers."[1]
- Ban the sale of assault rifles, starting Jan. 1, with licensed dealers and county police chiefs exempt.[1]
- Impose a minimum 30-day jail sentence for drivers with excessive speeding citations.[1]
- Increase hotel and cruise ship taxes to generate funds for climate change adaptation and wildfire prevention.[1]
More bills are awaiting the governor's approval, including those addressing gambling and Hawaiian Home Lands development. The suggested fireworks measures follow a fatal 2024 New Year’s Eve explosion in Āliamanu, which has led to evidence-gathering challenges in fireworks cases.[2] The Attorney General’s office thinks these bills could help make prosecution more manageable.[2]
- Hawaii lawmakers are deliberating on strict penalties for fireworks offenders, as outlined in HB 1483, which includes class-C felony charges for repeat offenders within a decade and those causing injuries.
- The legislature is considering legislation that allows law enforcement to use drone footage from public property to establish probable cause for fireworks-related arrests, as revealed in HB 550.
- Another bill under discussion, SB 222, seeks to extend the operations of the Illegal Fireworks Task Force to June 2030.
- Legislation is being proposed to prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste facilities near or above significant aquifers, potentially impacting the environment.
- A bill aims to ban the sale of assault rifles, effective from January 1, with police chiefs and licensed dealers exempt from this ban.
- The legislature is also contemplating a policy that imposes a minimum 30-day jail sentence for drivers with excessive speeding citations.
- There are bills awaiting the governor's approval, including measures addressing gambling, Hawaiian Home Lands development, and a proposal to increase hotel and cruise ship taxes to fund climate change adaptation and wildfire prevention in the realm of policy-and-legislation, general-news, and sports.
