On June 21, Governor Green notified the legislature of his intent to veto seventeen bills passed by our state legislature during the 2024 session.  You can view the full list of these bills and the Governor’s specific objections to each here. The Governor has until July 10 to formally veto any of the bills on his list (although he is not required to veto every bill on the list). The legislature must now decide whether to convene a special session to override any bills vetoed, although, in a statement issued, House Speaker Scott Saiki stated that it appears many of the bills on the Governor’s list could be addressed during the 2025 regular session.

In a June 18 webinar, the Hawaii Employers Council and the Tax Foundation of Hawaii reviewed a number of employment-related bills and tax bills passed in the 2024 session. None of the bills reviewed in that webinar are on Governor Green’s Intent to Veto list. On the contrary, on June 21, Governor Green signed into law several of the tax bills discussed during the webinar. Also signed into law on June 21 (and consequently effective as of June 21) were two employment-related bills, specifically, HR2463 HD2 SD2 (increasing Hawaii’s “catchall” exemption from $2,000/mo to $4,000/mo) and HB2354 HD1 SD2 CD1 (clarifying that the Small Business Regulatory Review Board has the authority to review legislation affecting small businesses upon request from small business owners). For the most up-to-date list and details of all bills signed into law, see here. Because the Governor cannot veto any bill not on his Intent to Veto list, the remaining bills discussed in the June 18 webinar will become law before or by July 10, even if not signed by Governor Green.

After July 10, the Hawaii Employers Council will issue one final wrap-up of all employment-related bills that become law. Members may contact their HR Consultant or call our HR Duty Line with questions on these bills.