Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green signs fireworks task force bill, several others into law

A bill that establishes a state task force to stop the importation of illegal fireworks and explosives into Hawai‘i is now law after Gov. Josh Green signed it last week.

Senate Bill 821 became Act 67 with Green’s signature on June 7. The measure creates the Illegal Fireworks Task Force within the Hawai‘i Department of Law Enforcement and appropriates funding for the initiative. The new task force will also focus on promoting compliance with the state’s fireworks control laws and ensuring the safety and security of facilities and institutions within Hawai’i against the discharge of illegal fireworks and explosives.

The measure has a sunset date of June 30, 2025, and requires the task force to report to the Hawai’i Legislature.

SB 821 was one of nine bills the governor signed into law at the beginning of last week. The others were:

• House Bill 16, enacted as Act 65: Authorizes liquor licensees engaged in meal service to sell unopened beer, wine and pre-packaged cocktails with food for pick up, delivery, take out or other means to be consumed off-premises. Authorizes liquor licensees with Class 4 retail dealer licenses to deliver purchased liquor to a customer’s vehicle.
• HB 28, enacted as Act 66: Appropriates funds to the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation for upgrades to software and computer systems. Requires the Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to work with the University of Hawai‘i on workforce development activities that support the development of the Hawai‘i Pacific Hydrogen Hub. Appropriates funds for the Hawai‘i Pacific Hydrogen Hub.
• HB 968, enacted as Act 64: Appropriates funds to establish positions and projects for the University of Hawai‘i Pamantasan Council to ensure the state champions educational equity and diversity in higher education. The Pamantasan Council was established in 1987 to address the representation and success of Filipinx throughout UH campuses.
• SB 588, enacted as Act 63: Requires and appropriates funds from the State Highway Fund for the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, in conjunction with counties having a population of more than 500,000, to develop and implement a pilot program to use noise detection traffic cameras to address excessive traffic noise in urban areas in each participating county. Requires the Department of Transportation to submit a report to the Hawai’i Legislature. Sunsets on Dec. 31, 2025.
• SB 1268, enacted as Act 68: Makes technical changes to the statutory definitions of “agricultural enterprise lands” and “non-agricultural park lands” for clarification and consistency purposes.
• HB 97, enacted as Act 69: Requires the Campaign Spending Commission to serve preliminary determinations of probable cause via first-class mail. Establishes a presumption of receipt when mailed to the address contained in the candidate or committee organizational report.
• HB 382, enacted as Act 70: Appropriates funds for the Hawai‘i Judiciary for the fiscal biennium beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2025.
• HB 133, enacted as Act 71: Appropriates funds for the operating expenses of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the fiscal biennium beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2025.

Click on the links for each measure above for additional details.