Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, February 27, 2020

     Gun Violence Prevention Bills that passed onto the Senate:HB2736 HD1 would require the licensing of sellers of ammunition, and for the identification and proper permitting of purchasers or
possessors of ammunition. Regulates ammunition in the same manner that firearms are regulated.
     HB 1902 HD2 would extend the prohibition for large capacity magazines to all firearms, rather than just pistols. It would provides an exception to the prohibition for law enforcement agencies and duly authorized officers. It would prohibit from owning firearms those who: as a minor, were diagnosed with behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders, unless the person has been medically documented to be no longer either adversely affected by the behavioral, emotional, or mental disorder or deemed a danger to themselves or others; and those were adjudicated by the family court to have committed a certain number of crimes of violence. It would require records of these diagnoses or adjudications to be made available to law enforcement officials.
     HB 2744 would establish the gun violence and violent crimes commission, with reports to the Legislature. It would make it a class C felony to purchase, manufacture, or otherwise obtain firearm parts for the purpose of assembling a firearm having no serial number. It would amends requirements relating to firearms registration.
     HB 2709 relates to the Uniform Probate Code. It would require a personal representative of a decedent appointed under the Uniform Probate Code to notify the police department of the appropriate county of any and all firearms in an estate. Requires the police department to certify that all firearms in an estate are properly transferred or disposed of before the estate may close.

A bill that passed the state House today would help college students in  health care, teaching, engineering, and social work pay for cost of living  while finishing their education, if they commit to work in Hawaiʻi  for three years. Photo from University of Hawaiʻi

     Family Issue Bills that passed on to the Senate:HB2060 HD1, relating to domestic abuse, would provide that family courts may withhold from public inspection any record of a denied temporary restraining order or denied protective order; provided that these records shall remain accessible to law enforcement without a court order. HB2425 HD1 would amend the definition of "domestic abuse" under Hawaiʻi's insurance laws and laws relating to domestic abuse protective orders to include coercive control between family or household members. It also would define "coercive control."
     Equal Pay Bill that passed onto the Senate: HB1701 HD1 would conform statutory prohibitions against wage discrimination with other prohibitions on employment discrimination. It would clarify allowable justifications for compensation differentials and remedies for pay disparity. It would require employers to disclose wage ranges to employees and prospective employees.
     Higher Education Bill that passed onto the Senate:HB2250 HD1, relating to the University of Hawaiʻi Promise Program Plus, would provide scholarships for the unmet direct cost needs of qualified students enrolled in bachelor's degree programs in teaching, health care, social work, or engineering at the University of Hawaiʻi who commit to work for at least three years in Hawaiʻi. It would appropriate funds to establish, implement, and manage the program.
     Capital Improvement Project Funding that passed onto the Senate:HB2725 HD1, including all means of financing, would approve CIP projects for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 totaling more than $4.9 billion to be spent statewide.

The first industrial hemp harvested in 2018 under laws that aim to help  develop the industry, with new legislation passing the House today. Photo from Rep. Chris Lee

     Hemp Product Bills that passed onto the Senate:HB2102 HD1 would require labels on hemp products. It would prohibit unwarranted health-related statements about hemp products. It would establish standards for hemp product manufacturers. It would prohibit manufacture or sale of any food into which a hemp product has been added. It would prohibit sale of hemp products designed to appeal to children.
     The bill also would establish that a product shall not be considered adulterated or misbranded solely by the inclusion of hemp with certain exceptions. It would clarify that a licensed medical cannabis dispensary is not prohibited from manufacturing, distributing, or selling products that contain hemp, or cannabinoids, extracts, or derivatives from hemp, subject to certain conditions. It would prohibit sale of hemp products to persons under 21 years of age and would require the state Department of Health to report on hemp to the legislature.
     See all 2019 and 2020 House bills that have crossed over to the Senate this session here.

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MAUNA LOA VOLCANO is not erupting. The mauna's Volcano Alert Level is ADVISORY, Aviation Code is YELLOW. Rates of deformation and seismicity have not changed significantly over the past week and remain above long-term background levels.
     During the past week, HVO seismometers recorded about 80 small-magnitude earthquakes beneath the volcano's upper elevations. The strongest was a magnitude-2.9 event beneath the summit region in the early morning hours of February 27. Most events occurred at shallow depths of less than 5 kilometers (~3 miles) beneath the surface of the summit and upper flanks of the volcano.
Global Positioning System measurements show continued slow summit inflation, consistent with magma supply to the volcano's shallow storage system.
     Gas concentrations at the Sulphur Cone monitoring site on the Southwest Rift Zone remain stable. Fumarole temperatures as measured at both Sulphur Cone and the summit have not changed significantly.
     For more information on current monitoring of Mauna Loa Volcano, see volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mauna_loa/monitoring_summary.html.

Mauna Loa remains quiet. USGS photo/J.D. Griggs

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