The 2025 Legislative Session opened January 15, 2025, with over 3,000 bills being introduced to address various priorities including regulating fireworks, affordable housing, rising insurance costs, and homelessness. Several bills related to paid family leave have been introduced again, as well as bills mandating paid breaks to employees. In addition, several bills aim to exclude tips from income taxes, modify tip credit rules, and adjust Hawaii’s minimum wage. Lastly, other proposals seek to grant unemployment insurance to striking workers, allocate funds for healthcare workforce training, and expand internship programs to provide on-the-job training for students and recent graduates.

If you are interested in reaching out to your Senator or Representative, submitting testimony, or signing up for hearing notices, please refer to information available on the Engagement 101 website of the State of Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau.

For a complete list of bills being tracked by the Hawaii Employers Council, please refer to our 2025 Employment Related Bills and Other Bills of Interest. We will also be posting updates to these bills throughout this session as it becomes available.