Transportation

Establishes within the Department of Transportation a three-year Molokai Air Carrier Subsidy Pilot Program to provide subsidies to airlines operating out of Molokai Airport. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

This Senate Concurrent Resolution urges the City and County of Honolulu to move forward with finalizing and building the Makakilo Drive Extension Project to address traffic congestion in the Makakilo and Kapolei areas. The bill requests that city officials establish a clear timeline for planning, funding, design, and construction phases, and submit a status report to the Legislature by early 2027. It directs copies of the resolution to the mayor, transportation director, and city council chair to ensure the request is formally communicated to local leadership.

Authorizes the Department of Transportation to evaluate an intersection for the installation of a leading pedestrian interval and accessible pedestrian signal upon the first placement or replacement of a state-owned pedestrian signal head. Requires and authorizes the Department of Transportation to evaluate a certain number of existing intersections with pedestrian signal heads on an annual basis until each intersection with a pedestrian signal head showing a pedestrian crash within the last 5 years has been evaluated. Ensures that accessible pedestrian signals are installed at intersections where leading pedestrian intervals are already installed. Requires that additional safety improvements are implemented as necessary where leading pedestrian intervals and accessible pedestrian signals are installed. Requires the Department of Transportation, in coordination with the counties, to develop a program that allows pedestrians and community members to request the installation of accessible pedestrian signals at specific intersections. Appropriates funds from the state highway fund. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

PART I: Requires motor vehicles to have front number plate mounting brackets or devices and for sellers, licensed dealers, or owners to securely affix number plates to the vehicles. PART II: Amends the Traffic Code relating to street racing. PART III: Expands the Automated Speed Enforcement Systems Program to high-risk locations of state or county highways as determined by the Department of Transportation, under certain conditions. Appropriates moneys. PART IV: Authorizes the installation of a school bus infraction detection system on the exterior of a school bus. Establishes strict liability and the process for issuing summons or citations for drivers shown by the system to be in violation of certain school bus laws. Clarifies the liability of drivers near a school bus that is actively monitored by a school bus infraction detection system. Appropriates moneys. PART V: Specifies that the Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Safety Office shall administer the Photo Red Light Imaging Detector Systems Program Special Fund and Automated Speed Enforcement Systems Program Special Fund. PART VI: Clarifies language relating to photo red light enforcement, automated speed enforcement, and penalty provisions. PART VII: Requires the Director of Transportation to adopt rules allowing for mobile vehicle safety inspections of passenger cars. Effective 7/1/3000; provided that part IV, except the rule-making directive and appropriation, effective 7/1/2028. (SD2)

Requires the Department of Transportation to institute proceedings to condemn certain lands in Lahaina to build a new access road from Keawe Street to the Kilohana and Kalaiola sites developed in the Villages of Leialii. Appropriates funds out of the Major Disaster Fund for the appraisals and other preparations for the condemnation proceedings. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Requires all state and county agencies to utilize applicable federal clean energy tax credits, pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, for the purchase and financing of capital improvement projects that use clean energy technology and zero-emission vehicles. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

HB 1695 expands an existing tax credit for renewable fuel producers, allowing them to claim additional credits for fuels produced after December 31, 2025. This bill directly affects businesses manufacturing renewable fuels like ethanol or biodiesel by increasing their potential tax savings. The key provision extends the credit to taxable years beginning after 2025, with an effective date listed as July 1, 3000 (likely a typo for 2030). The bill is currently pending before the TRN committee, having been deferred for further review in February 2026, and has not yet become law.

Requires and appropriates funds for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, in collaboration with a county selected by the Department, to develop an artificial intelligence-assisted pre-compliance intake pilot platform, subject to a matching funds requirement for the county. Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop a policy or metric to measure the success of the pilot platform. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

Prohibits minimum off-street parking requirements for new developments or redevelopment projects located in transit-oriented development infrastructure improvement program areas. Effective 4/19/2042. (SD1)

Requires the Department of Education to hire a new contractor or contractors with the Governor's approval if a contractor under a student transportation contract fails to provide service on a contracted route for five or more consecutive instructional days. Requires the DOE to assess a penalty if a contractor fails to provide service on a contracted route without an approved justification. Specifies that the assessed penalties be deposited into the School Bus Fare Revolving Fund. Beginning 7/1/2026, requires all requests for proposals issued and contracts executed by the DOE for student transportation services to specifically reference certain new provisions. Authorizes the use of the School Bus Fare Revolving Fund to offset costs associated with procuring replacement services. Requires quarterly reports to the Legislature. (SD1)