House Floor

Will the house come to order? Mister Clerk, please call the roll.

Mister Alcos?

Here.

Miss Amato?

Present.

Miss Belatti?

Present.

Mister Chun?

Here.

Miss Cochran?

Here.

Mister Evslin?

Here.

Mister Garcia?

Here.

Mister Garrett?

Here.

Mister Gedeon?

Miss Grandinetti?

Here

Here.

Miss Hartsfield?

Here.

Mister Hashem?

Present

Mister Hussey?

Miss Ichiyama?

Here.

Here.

Mister Iligan?

Present.

Miss Iwamoto?

Here.

Miss Kahaloa?

Here.

Miss Kapela?

Miss Keohokapu-Lee Loy?

Here.

Present.

Mister Kila?

Here.

Miss Kitagawa?

Here.

Mister Kong?

Present.

Mister Kusch?

Present

Miss La Chica?

Mister Lee?

Here.

Present.

Miss Loewen?

Present.

Miss Marten?

Here.

Mister Matayoshi?

Here.

Miss Matsumoto?

Present.

Mister Miyake?

Here.

Miss Morikawa?

Present.

Mister Muraoka?

Mister Olds?

Here.

Here.

Miss Perruso?

Here.

Mister Pierick?

Miss Poepoe?

Here.

Here.

Mister Quinlan?

Here.

Mister Ratcliffe?

Here.

Miss Reyes Oda?

Here.

Mister Sayama?

Here.

Mister Shimizu?

Here.

Miss Souza?

Present.

Mister Takayama?

Yes.

Miss Takenouchi?

Here.

Mister Tam?

Present.

Mister Tarnas?

Present.

Miss Templo?

Here.

Mister Todd?

Mister Woodson?

Here.

Here.

Mister Yamashita?

Here.

Madam speaker.

Here.

Madam speaker, all 51 members are present.

Item number two, reading of the journal. Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, may this matter be deferred.

So ordered. Item number three, messages from the governor. Mister Clerk, are there any messages from the governor?

Madam speaker, there are none.

Item number four, Senate communications. Mister Clerk, are there any Senate communications?

Yes, madam speaker. If you and the members will turn your attention to the addendum to today's order of the day. We are in receipt of a communication informing the house that the Senate has passed the noted house bill on final reading. We are in further receipt of a communication informing the house that the Senate has reconsidered action in disagreeing with the amendments proposed by the house and has moved to agree to the amendments for the noted Senate Concurrent Resolutions.

We are also in receipt of a communication informing the house that the Senate has adopted the noted Senate Concurrent Resolution.

We are also in receipt of a communication informing the house that the Senate has appointed conferees to the noted Senate bills. Finally, we are in receipt of a communication informing the House of the Senate has made changes to conferees to the noted Senate bill.

Members, are there any introductions? Representative Kila.

Madam speaker, in the gallery today, I'm honored to welcome one of my favorite constituents, the mama behind papa laulau's, my amazing mother, Heidi Kila. Mom, welcome to your house of representatives, and thank you for everything you do.

Representative Gedeon.

Madam speaker, I have two groups that I would like to acknowledge in the gallery today. First, I'd like to welcome the extremely hardworking neighborhood board from Hawaii Kai. If you please stand as I call your name, Chair Roberta Maior, Herb Schreiner and his wife Michelle, Paula Bender and Elijah Lee. Welcome to your House of Representatives. And the second group joining us from Cocoa Head Elementary School, we have the Girl Scouts.

There we are. We have Scout mom, Pauline Garrison, and Scouts Karen Camacho, Sammy Selders, and Elsie Garrison. Welcome to your House of Representatives. And I do see my extremely hardworking office Manager, Leo Rodas. He has evaded being welcomed so far this session.

Leo, welcome to your House of Representatives.

If there are no further introductions, recess. Subject to the call of the chair.

Item number five. Oh, will the house come to order? Item number five, unfinished business.

Members, please note that per Committee referral sheet number 38, Senate Concurrent Resolution number 100 SD 1 has been referred solely to the Committee on Water and Land. The Committee on Finance waived its referral to this measure, and therefore it is appropriate for the house to consider action for adoption. We will be taking up three motions.

Representative Kahaloa.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the Rules of the House to reconsider action previously taken on Senate Concurrent Resolution number 100 SD 1.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any questions? Members, we will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor, say aye.

All those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. Representative Kahaloa.

Aye.

Madam speaker, I move to reconsider action taken pursuant to the recommendations contained in Standing Committee report number 2189-26, recommending referral to the Committee on Finance.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion? Members will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no.

The motion is carried. Representative Kahaloa.

Madam speaker, I move to adopt Senate Concurrent Resolution number 100 SD 1 as listed on page one.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion on this item? Representative Garcia.

No vote.

So, ordered. Representative Muraoka.

No vote, please.

So ordered. Representative Shimizu.

No vote.

So ordered. Representative Cochran.

Also no vote.

So, ordered. Representative Gedeon.

Same request.

So ordered. Representative Alcos.

No vote.

So ordered. Representative Matsumoto.

Any request.

So ordered. Okay. Members will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say no. The motion is carried.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I move to suspend the Rules of the House in order to consider certain House and Senate Bills for final reading by consent calendar.

Representative Garcia.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

Okay. Go to conference committee. I'm sorry. Okay. We will be taking a voice vote.

All those in favor, signify by saying aye.

Aye.

All those opposed they know the motion is carried. Representative Kahaloa.

Madam Speaker, I move to adopt Conference Committee report numbers 2-26 through 10-26 as listed on pages two and three and that the company House and Senate Bills as amended pass final reading.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

Any discussion on these items beginning with CCR number 2-26. Representative Kila.

Thank you, speaker. Reservations, please.

So ordered. Representative Souza.

With reservations.

So, ordered. Moving on to CCR number 3-26, 4-26, 5-26, 6-26, 7-26.

Representative Hussey.

Thank you, Madam speaker. In support.

Please proceed.

Speaks in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

Representative Iwamoto.

If we can go back to Conference Committee report 6-26 when you have time?

Sure.

CCR number 6-26.

With reservations, and I'd like to ask that I can put comments into the journal.

So, ordered. Moving on to 8-26, 9-26, 10 oh, 9-26, Representative Kila.

Thank you, madam speaker, in support.

Please proceed.

Madam speaker, show shared value held by here in the Legislature of both parties in this chamber. We have worked to address and prioritize the Hawaii's concerns of cost of living. Madam speaker, your house committee on transportation has taken that matter seriously. We in the interim looked at how can the committee on transportation assist with lowering the cost of living. And I think it starts with measures like this.

Madam speaker, this measure before the chamber allows a clear pathway to help uplift our young folks, our folks who may not enter traditional four-year schools, or schools that may not take some of our struggling students. Madam speaker, after the Lahaina Wildfire, it was estimated that we have over 200 retirements eligible CDL drivers that could leave the state at any point in the day.

Throughout the country, there are states that have enacted this measure similarly that have created career pathways for young people to get their CDLs. The average salary of a commercial drivers a commercial driver who holds a CDL can earn upwards of $120,000 a year.

Madam speaker, a measure like this allows our working families here in Hawaii to be told that they don't have to put themselves into debt to go to school, but instead they can go into a program to change the trajectory of their lives, of their family by doing a career that can change their lives.

So, with this measure before your body, I humbly request that colleague support and allowing a career pathway to support generations for our truckers, for our potential school bus drivers, and anyone who can get a CDL safely and legally in the State of Hawaii. Mahalo.

Representative Muraoka.

Madam Speaker in strong support.

Please proceed.

Can I have the words of the previous speaker inserted as my own and additional comments?

So ordered.

Madam Speaker, today we take a practical and meaningful step towards strengthening Hawaii's workforce, supporting our local industries and creating real opportunities for our young people. House Bill 1696 addresses a challenge that many sectors across our state are facing right now, a shortage of qualified commercial drivers. From construction and agriculture to shipping, tourism, and essential services, the lack of CDL drivers has slowed projects, increased costs, and strained our local economy. This measure responds directly to that need.

By lowering the minimum age for interstate commercial driving to 18 while maintaining strict training, supervision, and safety requirements, we are not lowering standards.

We are modernizing our pathway into the workforce. This bill ensures that young drivers are not simply handed responsibility, but are properly trained through registered apprenticeships or structured employer based programs with extensive supervised driving hours and clear safety protocols. At its core, this bill is an opportunity. It gives young people in Hawaii a chance to enter the workforce sooner, to earn a livable wage, and to begin building a stable future without leaving our islands in search of better opportunities.

It helps bridge that critical gap between graduation and long term employment, keeping our youth engaged, productive, and on a positive path.

For many families, this is also about legacy. We have generations of local workers who have built their lives in industries that rely on commercial drivers. This bill allows the next generation to follow in those footsteps safely, responsibly, and sooner. And importantly, this is not just a workforce bill. It's an economic resilience bill.

When we strengthen our supply chains, support our industries, and grow our local talent, we strengthen Hawaii as a whole. Members, I am this measure is balanced. It protects safety. It supports employers, and it opens the doors for our young people. Thank you.

Representative Kila.

Madam speaker, it's in support for the second time. May I adopt the words of the representative from Waiʻanae and insert them to the journal as if they were my own.

So ordered.

Brief remarks, I also want to acknowledge that this measure is also a symbol that two parties can work together because I would be remiss to not thank my colleague from Waianae from working to prioritize this issue and matter with me and delivering this to the body in a true form of bipartisanship for the betterment of the State of Hawaii. So Mahalo, my Wai'anae represent my Wai'anae colleague my colleague from Wai'anae and the further committees who have helped us get this far.

Mahalo.

Representative Shimizu.

Thank you, madam speaker in support.

Please proceed.

Can I have the words of the transportation Chair and the Representative from Waiʻanae adopted as if they were my own?

So ordered.

Thank you.

Moving on to conference committee report number 10-26. Representative Garcia.

With reservations and permission to insert written comments in the journal.

So ordered. Representative Iwamoto.

So ordered. Okay.

Reservations.

Representative Morikawa for the vote.

And the speaker on the measures before us, all majority members vote aye.

Representative Garcia.

Thank you, Madam speaker. On the measures before us, all minority members vote aye, with the exception of the following. On page two, CCR 2-26, Senate Bill 2466, HD1 CD1. Representatives; Alcos, Cochran, Garcia, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Muroaka, Shimizu, Reyes Oda, and Pierick vote no.

Have all votes been cast? Said bills passed final reading. Members, are there any announcements? Okay. Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, I move that this house stand adjourned until 06:30PM tomorrow.

Representative Garcia.

Madam speaker, I second the motion.

All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. The house stands adjourned until 06:30PM tomorrow.