Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection

Good morning and welcome to the Hawaii State Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection. This is our Thursday, February 20, 2025 9:30am agenda in Conference Room 229 at the Hawaii State Capitol. This is a decision making agenda. All of these measures were previously heard in their respective subject matter committees.

We've received written testimony from those who submitted it before 9am today and we are prepared to make recommendations to the full chamber. The first measure on the agenda is SB21 SD1 relating to water carriers. This measure establishes a water carrier inflationary cost index automatic adjustment mechanism.

Members, the recommendation on this measure is to pass with amendments adopting the PUC amendment, requesting to change the authority from required to permissive from shell to me. There are also technical, non substantive changes that will be made and a defective effective date on this measure already. Any discussion? Seeing none. Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Vice Chair also votes aye. Senator McKelvey?

Yes.

Senator Richards is excused. Senator Awa? Aye. Measure is adopted.

Thank you very much. The next measure is SB133 SD1 relating to energy. This measure authorizes state facilities to wheel electricity that is produced by their own facility from renewable energy sources to another state facility pursuant to rules established by the PUC.

The recommendation on this measure is to pass with amendments adopting the PUC recommendations and defecting the effective date of the measure to July 1, 2050. Any comments or questions? If not, Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Of the Members present, are there any voting with reservations or objections? Hearing none, measure is adopted.

Thank you. The next measure is SB391 SD1 relating to recycling. This measure establishes an end of life Lithium Ion Battery Management Working Group. The recommendation is to pass unamended. Any discussion? Okay. Vice Chair passing as is. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Of the Members present, are there any voting with reservations or objections? Hearing none, measure is adopted.

Thank you very much. The next measure is SB532 SD1 relating to the Department of Education. This measure allows school staff and agents trained by a healthcare professional to volunteer to administer medication to students at DOE public schools under certain conditions. The recommendation is to pass with amendments.

There are some technical, non substantive amendments and we will adopt the amendments proposed by the Hawaii State Center for Nursing. And I also note the defective effective date on the measure. Any comments or questions? Seeing none, Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Of the Members present, are there any voting with reservations or objections?

No.

Thank you. Senator Awa, no. The others are in the affirmative. Measures adopted.

Thank you very much. The next measure is SB588 SD1 relating to renewable energy. This measure authorizes certain state government entities to establish a self certification process for behind the meter customer sided solar distributed energy resource systems and exempt the systems from the FEMA no rise, no impact declaration requirements under certain circumstances.

Members, given the testimony submitted on this measure, the recommendation is to defer action on this Bill until Tuesday, February 25 2025 at 9:30am in Conference Room 229. The next measure is SB 838. Yeah, 838. No, yeah, 838. Sorry, that's up next, right? Yeah. Relating to health insurance.

This measure requires all health insurers in the state, excluding Medicaid managed care programs to cover the cost of continuous glucose monitors and relating supplies under certain conditions.

The recommendation is to pass with amendments adopting technical non substantive amendments, adopting the proposed amendments from the Department of Human Services and adding a defective date on the measure to July 1, 2050. To further discussion, Members, any comments or questions?

Just a quick comment. I'm going to vote for the measure but I think that we should be. Hopefully as it moves forward there can be a look at having Medicaid being eligible. Managed care makes the biggest impact to the states and given our federal costs coming down, it could be a good tool for Medicaid.

But just wanted to say that. Thank you, Chair.

So noted. Any other comments or questions? If there are none, Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Vice Chair also votes Aye. Senator McKelvey? Senator Richards is excused. Senator Awa? measure is adopted.

Thank you. Next measure is SB1230 SD1 relating to meat donation. This measure exempts the donation of wild game meat, including axis deer, by a hunter for the use or distribution by charitable, religious or non profit organizations to needy persons from certain laws regarding the inspection and transportation of meat.

The recommendation is to pass with amendments adopting technical non substantive changes and adding a defective date of July 1, 2050 to the measure. Any comments or questions? Seeing none, Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Of the Members present any voting with reservations or objections? Hearing none, Measure is adopted.

Thank you. Next measure is SB1279 SD1 relating to pharmacists. This measure authorizes a registered pharmacist under contract with a covered entity for purposes of the federal 340b Drug Pricing Program to supervise via Telehealth the filing or receipt of a prescription in certain circumstances.

The recommendation on this measure is to pass with a defective effective date of July 1, 2050. Any discussion? If not Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Of the members present any voting with reservations or objections? Hearing none, measure is adopted.

Thank you. Next measure is SB1281 SD1 relating to Telehealth. This measure updates the state's laws on Telehealth services to conform with federal Medicare regulations. Recommendation is to defer action on this measure until Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 9:30am in Conference Room 229. The next measure is SB 1449 relating to prior authorization of healthcare services.

This measure requires any utilization review entity in the state to submit to SHIP TA data relating to prior authorization of healthcare services. The recommendation on this measure is also to defer action until Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 9:30am in Conference Room 229. And the last measure on this agenda is SB1494 SD1 relating to hearing aids.

This measure requires health insurance policies and contracts issued on or after January 1, 2026 to provide optional coverage for the cost of hearing aids at a minimum $1,500 per hearing aid for each hearing impaired ear every 36 months.

The recommendation on this measure is to pass with technical non-substantive changes and to insert a defective effective date of July 1, 2050. Any discussion? If not Vice Chair passing with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Thank you. Of the Members present any voting with reservations or objections? Hearing none, Measure is adopted.

Thank you very much Members. Just to note we have a decision making agenda in this room tomorrow 9:45 and then we will join our friends in Judiciary Committee at 10 downstairs in 016 square turn.