HONOLULU — The Hawaii Legislature is nearing the halfway point of the 2017 session. All bills have to pass out of their original chamber by Thursday.
Lawmakers are likely to take up proposals that aim to preserve coral reefs and the fish that call the reefs home. They also are planning to consider bills that would make presidential candidates reveal their tax returns.
Most of the action will be on Tuesday when lawmakers are planning long floor sessions to pass hundreds of bills ahead of the deadline.
Here’s a sampling of what may come up for a vote in the House or Senate:
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CRUELTY TO BIRDS
After several albatrosses died at Kaena Point in 2015, lawmakers want better legal protections for Hawaii’s indigenous birds. They are proposing to update a law that makes cruelty to animals in the first degree a Class C felony. Now, pets and horses are included in the law, and lawmakers want to include indigenous birds.
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AQUARIUM FISH
Responding to environmentalists and tourism workers who say there has been a decline in colorful fish swimming in Hawaii’s reefs, a House bill seeks a temporary moratorium on issuing permits to fish for wildlife in the nearshore reefs until the state comes up with a preservation plan.
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PRESIDENTIAL TAX RETURNS
Lawmakers around the country want to know what potential conflicts of interest the leader of the country has. President Donald Trump did not release tax returns during the presidential campaign, breaking decades of tradition. Lawmakers in the state House and Senate want to make it a requirement that candidates release tax returns to get on the presidential ballot or to allow electors to cast votes for the candidate.
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BEAUTY SALONS — DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
State lawmakers believe hairdressers and manicurists are in a unique position to help combat domestic violence because of their close relationships with clients. Lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced bills to require cosmetologists to complete a training program on recognizing the signs of domestic violence.
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OXYBENZONE SUNSCREENS
Concerned that sunscreens containing oxybenzone may be damaging coral reefs, lawmakers introduced several proposals to curtail their use. Most of the bills died. A Senate proposal to ban the use of sunscreen containing oxybenzone while on the beach or in the ocean survived, although it may change to focus on education.