Aloha District 13!



The introduction of legislation for the 2025 session is pau! Over 3,000 bills have been introduced and are currently moving through committees. I personally introduced 21 bills, in addition to 2 bills as part of caucus packages. Below, you’ll find highlights of the bills along with links. It's crucial that lawmakers hear from our community as they evaluate programs, projects, and policies affecting our state and district. I encourage you to get involved by submitting testimony on bills and issues that matter to you.

FEDERAL FINANCING FREEZE

We know that many are concerned about the recent Federal financial pause on agency grants, loans, and other assistance programs. While the White House Office of Management and Budget did rescind the memo freezing federal aid, the related executive orders and policies are still in effect. The full impact on the Federal funding to the State remains unclear, but one thing is certain: supporting our communities, service organizations, healthcare providers, and other essential agencies must continue to be a top priority for the Legislature. We are closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds and the extent of its impact on our state.

The Hawaii Alliance for Non-Profit Organizations (HANO) has created a resource page for community non-profits and organizations to provide updates and information regarding the changing Federal climate as well as access to tools to help plan for uncertainty.

Despite these challenges, we must remain focused on what we can control and building resilience within our state and communities. I am committed to continuing to push for progress and navigating through any adversity that comes our way.

Me ke aloha,

Mahina

Last year, Rep Poepoe introduced a bill to create a rural medical air transportation pilot program, aimed at providing chartered flights for Molokai and Lana’i residents to access off-island medical appointments and to bring healthcare providers to Molokai and Lana’i. With strong support from both chambers of the legislature, $2 million was secured in the state budget to launch the program. Over the past six months, the Department of Health has worked diligently, gathering input from the community, stakeholders, and industry experts to develop a request for proposals (RFP) and administer the funds.

The RFP went live in late January and will be accepting bids until February 25, 2025. Questions can be submitted by 3 p.m. on February 19. This has been, and will continue to be, a significant undertaking. I am hopeful that local organizations will step forward and submit proposals to help bring the program to life. If you or are interested in learning more about what this program is intended to do check out the listing and review the downloadable files in the Hawaii Awards & Notices Data System

Rep Poepoe's 2025 Bill Package Highlights Include:

 HB85 Conveyance Tax; Land Conservation Fund Restores the amount of conveyance tax revenues to be paid into the Land Conservation Fund to ten percent of conveyance taxes collected each fiscal year. 

HB86 DLNR; Makai Watch; Marine Resources Establishes one full-time equivalent permanent position for a Makai Watch Coordinator position. 

HB87 Public Schools; Free Breakfast and Lunch; Universal School Meals; Appropriation 

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, public schools will provide all enrolled students free breakfast and lunch.  

HB88 Department of Education; Student Athletes; Travel; Pilot Program ($) Requires the Department of Education to establish and administer a three-year student-athlete travel pilot program to provide funding for intra-county travel expenses for student-athletes of Maui County.

 HB89 Teacher Home Assistance Program; Teacher Recruitment and Retention; Teachers' Housing Revolving Fund Establishes the Teacher Home Assistance Program to provide housing vouchers to certain eligible teachers.

HB305 Restoration: Aloha Aina Land Trust Creates the Aloha Aina Land Trust to rehabilitate and manage lands transferred by the United States military to the State after the leases for those lands expire.

HB306 State Water Code; Commission on Water Resource Management; Penalties 

Establishes a minimum penalty of $50 and a maximum penalty of $60,000 for each violation of the State Water Code, treating each day a violation persists as a separate offense. Requires the Commission on Water Resource Management to assess the penalty amount based on the specifics of the violation.  

HB307 Special Number Plates; Kahoʻolawe; Kohe Mālamalama o Kanaloa Protect Kahoʻolawe Fund Authorizes the issuance of special number plates to recognize the island of Kahoʻolawe. 

HB597 Constitutional Amendment; Environmental Protection (ConAm). Proposes a constitutional amendment to ensure that the inherent and inalienable right of the people, including present and future generations, to clean water 

HB1237 Biosecurity; Invasive Species; Department of Agriculture; Maui County

Appropriates funds to the Department of Agriculture for agricultural biosecurity and the prevention, detection, and control of invasive species in Maui County. 

HB1238 Manele Small Boat Harbor; DLNR; Transportation Appropriates moneys for a structural engineering analysis; the planning, design, and construction of repairs and improvements to the water line system; and the reopening of a roadway related to Manele Small Boat Harbor. 

Explore Rep. Poepoe's full bill package here.

Women’s Legislative Caucus 2025 Bill Package

The Hawai‘i State Women’s Legislative Caucus recently held its annual breakfast, bringing together lawmakers, advocates, and community leaders to discuss key policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The bipartisan caucus, which includes women from both the House and Senate, unveiled its 2025 legislative package focused on advancing gender equity, family support, and public health initiatives.

Rep. Poepoe spoke on HB727, a measure she supported as the primary introducer which establishes a three year womenʻs court pilot program for our neighbor island judicial circuits. Womenʻs court has been highly successful on Oahu and its expansion to the neighbor islands greatly benefits at risk women by providing the option of a pathway avoiding incarceration.

The Caucus package includes measures addressing maternal healthcare access, domestic violence prevention, economic opportunity rights protections. The Caucus emphasized the importance of collaborative policymaking and ensuring that the voices of women and families are represented in state law.

This measure also received coverage in the Civil Beat and the AP News.

Maui Economic Opportunity

Agricultural Micro Grants NOW OPEN!

Applications for the popular Agricultural Micro Grant Program 5.0 – which offers up to $25,000 in grants to Maui County small farmers and ranchers due February 25th, 2025.

More information can be found Here

Explore our Public Access Room (PAR)

PAR provides the public with information, facilities, and services to assist them as they engage and participate in the State legislative process.

Hours

Session: M-F 8am – 5pm

Interim: M-F 8am – 4:30pm

State Capitol Room 401

415 S. Beretania St

Honolulu, HI 96813

(808) 587-0478

par@capitol.hawaii.gov

https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/

The Capitol is OPEN to the public. However, it will continue to offer hybrid options for hearings and testimony.

Capitol Hours: Building hours for the State Capitol are 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. Photo identification is required for entry into the building. All guests will receive an entry wristband upon completing the security checkpoint.

Paid Public Parking: The Capitol parking lot offers paid public parking.

Rep. Mahina Poepoe

District 13 House of Representatives

415 S. Beretania Street Room 331

Honolulu, HI 96813

(808) 586-6790

reppoepoe@gmail.com

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