First Crossover Bill List

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The Sierra Club of Hawai‘i is monitoring hundreds of environmental bills in the 2020 session, but we are focusing on a few key issues relating to climate change adaptation, replacing dirty energy with clean renewable sources, and protecting soil, freshwater resources, and lands. We have testified on 47 bills since the legislative session started. March 5th marks first crossover deadline where bills still alive “crossover” to the opposite chamber, meaning House bills move to the Senate and Senate bills move to the House. Below is an update on our priority bills.

Bills that have survived crossover:

Sea Level Rise:

  • HB1878, SB2670, SB2671 (Support) - Requires mandatory seller/purchaser disclosures in real estate transactions within sea level rise exposure areas to ensure transparency of the risks of sea level rise.

  • HB549, SB393, SB2060 (Support) - Amends Chapter 205A - Hawai‘i’s Coastal Zone Management Act to protect beaches and help prevent seawalls.

Energy:

  • HB1864 (Support) - Fixes the calculation of Hawai‘i’s Renewable Portfolio Standards to more accurately reflect progress towards Hawai‘i’s clean energy goals.

  • HB1934 (Support) - Develops a plan to increase jobs aligned with the State’s transition to a clean energy economy.

  • HB2657 (Support) - Ensure that Hawai‘i’s last coal-fired power plant closes in 2022 to make Hawai‘i “Coal Free by 2023.” 

  • HB2699 (Support) - Establishes 100% clean ground transportation goals by 2045.

  • SB1289 (Support) - Requires solar panels to be installed on new home development projects.

Water:

  • SB2828 (Oppose) - Amends the State Water Code to specify that fire safety is a beneficial use of water, potentially enabling the “waterbanking” of public trust resources.

Soils:

  • HB2167, SB2704 (Support) - Establishes a cover crop reimbursement pilot program in the Dept. of Agriculture to offset farmer costs of purchasing and planting cover crops, which improves soil health and decreases erosion and runoff

  • SB2531 (Support) - Increases funding to the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources’ State Tree Nursery to promote tree stocks that provide agricultural and soil health benefits.

Lands and Development:

  • HB2542, SB2620, SB3104 (Comments) - Weakens the authority of Land Use Commission in rezoning agricultural lands for “affordable” housing development.

  • HB2035, SB2812 (Oppose) - Requires the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources to transfer 93,000 acres of watershed forest “pasture lands” to the Dept. of Agriculture.

  • SB3103 (Oppose) - Establishes a School Facilities Agency and whose projects are exempt from many county and state laws including Chapter 343 environmental protection and Chapter 6e historic preservation.

Bills that have not made crossover deadline and are dead for this year:

Bills we supported:

  • HB2160- Creates a special fund for the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources’ State Tree Nursery to promote tree stocks that provide agricultural and soil health benefits.

    • Explanation: Bill was not heard by Rep. Luke in FIN

  • HB2154- Prohibit the harvesting of aquatic life for commercial aquarium purposes to protect reef ecosystems.

    • Explanation: Bill was deferred by Rep. Lowen in EEP and Rep. Yamane in WLH

  • HB2194- Updating Hawai‘i’s Coastal Zone Management Act to protect beaches and help prevent seawalls.

    • Explanation: Bill was deferred by Rep. Lowen in EEP and Rep. Yamane in WLH

  • SB2366- Ensures that Hawai‘i’s last coal-fired power plant closes in 2022 to make Hawai‘i “Coal Free by 2023”

    • Explanation: Bill was not heard by Sen. Wakai in EET

  • SB2774- Protecting O‘ahu’s drinking water from the Navy’s Red Hill fuel tanks.

    • Explanation: Bill was not heard by Sen. Baker in CPH

Bills we opposed:

  • HB2677- Extending the issuance of revocable permits to divert stream water and allowing for direct negotiation of water leases.

    • Explanation: Bill was not heard by Rep. Luke in FIN

  • HB2646- Amends the State Water Code to specify that fire safety is a beneficial use of water, potentially enabling the “waterbanking” of public trust resources.

    • Explanation: Bill was not heard by Rep. Luke in FIN

  • HB1821 and SB2810 - Severely restrict the public’s access to declaratory court decisions.

    • Explanation: Bill was deferred by Rep. Lee in JDC and Sen. Rhoads in JUD.