Testimony Needed for Friday, March 15th: Climate Change and Coalition Bills

Below are priority bills for the Sierra Club and our Coalition partners that have hearings sprinkled throughout Friday, March 15th. Please take a few minutes to login into the Capitol website and show your support!

High priority bills for the Sierra Club:

Sea level rise and climate change planning bills: HB 461HB 549HB 765, and HB 1487. These bills are slightly different but the same draft testimony below can be used for all four:

I support this bill. Climate Change impacts, especially sea level rise, create a new type of coastal hazard affecting coastal areas now and increasingly in the future. Policy and permitting decisions with long-term effects related to sea level rise are happening now, including approvals of structures with long life spans, siting of utilities and other capital improvements, and other actions with long-range consequences. We need to be incorporating sea level rise projections into our state plans, avoiding construction within hazardous coastal areas to protect our beaches, and supporting innovative solutions to address climate change.

HB 1584 - Carbon tax study

I support HB 1584 HD2. Both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission support carbon pricing as the most effective action to reduce emissions. However, no state has adopted a carbon tax and Hawai‘i's carbon tax could disproportionately affect low and moderate income communities if not implemented correctly. A study on a carbon tax is warranted and will provide clear policy guidance for how future carbon tax proposals can be both effective and equitable.

 

Coalition Priorities: These bills also warrant your quick support!

HB 1217 - Automatic Voter Registration

I support HB 1217 HD1. This bill would automatically register eligible citizens to vote when they apply or renew their State ID or Driver’s License, unless they opt-out. It’s time to modernize our registration process and increase convenience and access to voting. Automatic voter registration has already been approved in 17 states and is efficient, secure, and can help improve voter turnout in Hawai‘i.

HB 808 - Sharks and Rays Protection

I support HB 808 HD1. This bill outlaws the intentional killing, capture, abuse, or entanglement of sharks and rays in state marine waters. Sharks and rays are culturally significant species that keep our ocean ecosystems in balance and healthy. These important species deserve our protection.

SB 390 - SNAP “double bucks”

I support SB 390 SD2. This bill would double the value of SNAP (food stamps) when used to purchase Hawai‘i grown produce. Giving “double bucks” for Hawai‘i-grown produce incentivizes SNAP beneficiaries to purchase nutritious fruits and vegetables- which in turn helps local farmers and our agricultural economy, improves SNAP participants’ health, and supports greater local food production into the future.

 

Please login here, enter the bill number, and use the draft testimony provided to quickly show your support for these bills before Friday. Mahalo.