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Hawaii News

3 proposals to watch at state Legislature

Bruce Asato / basato@staradvertiser.com
Rhonda Benigno

The mountain of bills that Hawaii lawmakers are tackling now looks more like a hill. More than half of the bills introduced just a month ago in the Hawaii House of Representatives have died, and lawmakers are left with 737 of the original 1,515 bills that were on the list in that chamber after pushing key proposals through legislative deadlines.

Those that lived include a proposal to create a system of medical marijuana dispensaries, a plan to label genetically modified food and various attempts to fix problems at the state’s troubled health exchange.

Here are some bills to watch this week in the Legislature.

» Golden health plans: With the long-term sustainability of the Hawaii Health Connector in question, lawmakers are taking proactive steps to address what would happen if the federal government took over the state-run health insurance exchange. One bill would require that all plans sold on the exchange meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act’s silver-, gold- or platinum-level plans.

The aim is to protect Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act, which requires employers to subsidize generous health insurance plans for most employees. That bill will be heard in the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce on Monday.

» No vaping here: Smokers of electronic cigarettes would have fewer places to indulge under a bill in the Hawaii Senate. The proposal seeks to ban electronic cigarettes in all places where traditional cigarettes are prohibited.

That bill is in the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection on Wednesday. A similar proposal in the House died when it was deferred indefinitely in the Health Committee.

» Social media lurking: A Hawaii lawmaker is trying to make sure your employer doesn’t force you to hand over passwords to your social media accounts. The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission says the group has heard of employers using social media to pre-screen potential job applicants.

The proposal to keep passwords private is scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Judiciary on Tuesday.

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