The 2023 Legislative session officially opens January 18, 2023. Legislators will have one week, until January 25, 2023, to introduce bills for consideration in this year’s session.
There are many factors that may impact the types of bills introduced, including the political, social, and economic climates. There have been many changes in our state government over the past year, including a new Governor and many first-time legislators representing our local communities. Additionally, some of the committees and committee chairs have been reshuffled, so we may see some familiar faces in new roles.
This year, the State Capitol is open to the public. Individuals, businesses, and other organizations are invited to submit testimony on bills of interest. For information on visiting the Capitol, see the revamped website at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/.
Below are some topics we may expect to see introduced or reintroduced this year:
- Restrictions on concealed carry of weapons, such as in sensitive places
- New initiatives, such as restoring services, using the state’s nearly $2 billion surplus
- Increased food tax credit
- Workforce development, such as new training and technological infrastructure programs to support the local and home-based workforce
- Paid sick/family leave
- Various employment practices and protecting employee rights
- Recreational marijuana use, and/or workplace protections for medical use
- Health and insurance
- Climate change issues
As usual, HEC will track bills of interest that may impact Hawaii employers. Updates will be posted on our Legislative Updates page as they become available.