Governor Josh Green enacted 263 of the 274 bills passed during the 2023 legislative session.

As of July 12, the Green hosted 18  bill signing ceremonies covering topics from good governance, affordable housing, destination management at state parks, protections for victims of domestic violence, traffic safety, and cost of living.

The Governor also signed more than 100 additional bills and issued 11 vetoes due to legal and programmatic concerns.

Yesterday, five bills became law without Governor Green’s signature as they reflect strong stakeholder support for the measures.

These bills, with summaries, are as follows:

• SB45 SD1 HD2, Relating to Minors, which will be enacted as Act 259
  • Description: Allows minors 16 years of age or older and emancipated minors to petition for domestic abuse protective orders.
• HB161 HD1 SD1 CD1, Relating to Collective Bargaining, which will be enacted as Act 260
  • Description: Establishes that the representative of labor on the Hawaiʻi Labor Relations Board shall be a person selected by a majority of the exclusive representatives of the collective bargaining units.
• HB717 HD1 SD2 CD1, Relating to Nepotism, which will be enacted as Act 261
  • Description: Prohibits, under certain circumstances, state employees from appointing, hiring, promoting, or retaining relatives and household members and from making or participating in certain other employment-related decisions and from awarding a contract to or otherwise taking official action on a contract with a business if the employee’s relative or household member is an executive officer of or holds a substantial ownership interest in that business.
• HB923 HD1 SD1 CD1, Relating to Bonds, which will be enacted as Act 262
  • Description: Requires (1) counties with a private activity bond issuance program to exhaust their allotment before applying to the state for the state allocation and (2) the state, if it receives a county allocation, to award that same amount to project or projects in that county.
• HB1359 HD2 SD2 CD1, Relating to Hemp, which will be enacted as Act 263
  • Description: Repeals redundant regulations on hemp production; recognizes the unique constraints of Hawaiʻi farmers; permits the licensure of hemp producers to sell hemp biomass; establishes of the Hawaiʻi Hemp Task Force.

Bills enacted into law by Governor Josh Green, M.D., may be found on the Hawaiʻi State Legislature website.