HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers are tackling drones, presidential tax returns and housing shortages as they head into their second full week of the Legislative session.
They’re filling the calendar with legislative hearings after introducing more than 2,900 bills in the past week.
Here are a few bills to keep an eye on:
NO TAX RETURN, NO BALLOT
Frustrated with President Donald Trump’s refusal to release copies of his tax returns, Hawaii lawmakers are proposing multiple bills to make it a state law to reveal tax returns in order to appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate. The Senate Judiciary Committee takes up SB150 Tuesday. The bill says candidates have to provide an income tax return for the most recent taxable year that it was filed. Similar bills have been introduced in the Hawaii House and several other states.
BEAUTY SALON PROTECTORS
Reasoning that people often have close relationships with their hairdressers and manicurists, senators are introducing a bill to require cosmetologists to complete a one-time, one-hour training program on recognizing the signs of domestic violence. That bill — SB518 — will be heard Tuesday in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health.
DETERRING DRONES
Drones are increasingly popular in Hawaii, and some people want to reign in how and where the unmanned aircraft can be used. A bill — HB314 — would ban using drones to collect personal information and stop them from flying over schools, hospitals, churches or police stations without consent. That bill will be in the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection on Tuesday.
HOUSING AS HEALTH CARE
With hospitals often treating homeless patients, a Senate proposal would classify homelessness as a medical condition and allow doctors to prescribe housing as a cure. The bill — SB2— will be taken up Monday in a joint meeting of two Senate Committees: Human Services and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health, along with SB7, a proposal to ask the federal government for permission to use Medicaid funds for housing-related services.