

House District 5: Portions of Kea‘au and Kurtistown, Mountain View, Glenwood, Fern Forest, Volcano, Pāhala, Punalu‘u, Nā‘ālehu, Wai‘ōhinu, Hawaiian Ocean View, Ho‘okena, Kaʻawaloa
Values
Jeanné understands the importance of putting people before profit. As your representative, she works to protect our iconic agricultural industry. She champions the needs of working families, and strives to deliver universal healthcare, and combat climate change.
Jeanné believes that it’s time to guarantee that the workers who drive our economy are able to thrive financially by raising the minimum wage to at least $17/hour and establishing paid sick and family leave programs. She is also committed to raising teacher pay, fully funding our schools, and creating a Green New Deal for the islands that uplifts workers’ prosperity and our 'āina for generations to come.
THE DIGNITY OF WORKING FAMILIES
HB 1658, RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE - Requires the department of labor and industrial relations to establish and administer a family leave insurance program. Provides family leave insurance benefits and extends the period of family leave to 16 weeks for businesses that employ one or more employees who meet the hourly qualifications. Eliminates the previous threshold of 100 employees for employers to be subject to the family leave law.
HB 1659 RELATING TO PAID SICK LEAVE - Requires certain employers to provide a minimum amount of paid sick leave to employees to be used to care for themselves or a family member who is ill or needs medical care and supplemental paid sick leave to employees under certain public health emergency conditions.
HB 1661, RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. Expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to include any individual or household whose monthly income is equal to or less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level. Appropriates funds.
HB 1798, RELATING TO MINIMUM WAGE - Beginning September 30, 2028, requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to annually calculate an adjusted minimum wage rate to within the nearest twenty-five cents using the Urban Hawaii Consumer Price index to take effect on January 1 of the following year.
HB 2181, RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. Establishes and appropriates funds for a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipient advisory committee to assist the Department of Human Services in strengthening the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for working families.
HB 2182, RELATING TO COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS - Requires the Department of Health to administer a three-year rural community health worker pilot program that enables community health workers to provide outreach, education, training, and navigation to individuals residing in rural communities in the State and address social determinants of health.
TAX FAIRNESS
HB 1660, RELATING TO CAPITAL GAINS - Taxes capital gains income at the same rate as ordinary income. This would allow the State to collect more taxes from the wealthiest individuals in Hawaii.
HB 1662, RELATING TO A CHILD TAX CREDIT - Establishes a refundable child tax credit of $650 per child. Applies to taxable years beginning after 12/31/2024.
HB 1612, RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION - Exempts unemployment compensation from state personal income tax beginning in the 2023 tax year. Increases the maximum weekly benefit a person may receive in unemployment compensation beginning on 1/1/2025.
HB 1613, RELATING TO WATER CATCHMENT - Creates a refundable water catchment income tax credit for a homeowner who installs and places into service a water catchment system meeting certain requirements on residential property in the State owned by the homeowner.
SUPPORTING PUBLIC EDUCATION
HB 1614, RELATING TO TEACHERS - Increases the bonus for teachers who achieve and maintain a current national board certification from $5,000 to $15,000.
HB 1615, RELATING TO CAMPUS SAFETY - Requires all existing University of Hawaii employees to be provided training on federal laws and University of Hawaii policies regarding sex discrimination and sexual misconduct by December 31, 2024. Clarifies that amnesty provisions are applicable to only students and the student conduct code. Appropriates funds out of the general revenues of the state, rather than the University of Hawaii Tuition and Fees Special Fund, for fiscal year 2024-2025 for operating expenses and to establish positions.
HB 1616, RELATING TO FIRE ALARMS - Appropriates funds for fire alarm repairs at public schools. Requires the DOE to submit an annual report to the legislature on the installation, repair, and maintenance of fire alarm systems in Hawaii's public schools.
HB 1795, RELATING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Establishes a working group within the University of Hawaii to evaluate possibilities for making community college free for Hawaii residents.
HB 1797, RELATING TO STUDENT TRANSPORTATION - Appropriates funds to the Department of Education to strengthen student transportation services for Hawaii's public school system.
HB 1799, RELATING TO PREFERRED NAMES - Requires the Department of Education to implement a process to allow students to use preferred names to strengthen inclusivity in public schools.
DEFENDING THE ʻAINA
HB559 RELATING TO COFFEE LABELING - Expands the coffee labeling and advertising requirements to include ready-to-drink coffee beverages, inner packages, and inner wrapping labels. Requires disclosure on the label of coffee blends of respective geographic and regional origins and percent by weight of the blended coffees. Prohibits use of the term "All Hawaiian" in labeling or advertising for roasted coffee or instant coffee not provided entirely from green coffee beans grown and processed in Hawaii.
DEFENDING THE ʻAINA
HB 1796, RELATING TO CLIMATE RESILIENCE - Requires the Hawaii clean energy initiative program to design and implement a plan to increase jobs that strengthen emergency preparedness and climate resilience. Authorizes the use of the energy security special fund to advance the State's goals of strengthening emergency preparedness and climate mitigation.
REENVISIONING JUSTICE
HB 2079, RELATING TO HEALTH - Relaxes the requirements for prescribing certain controlled substances as part of gender-affirming health care services. Expands the protections established under Act 2, SLH 2023, to include gender-affirming health care services. Clarifies jurisdiction under the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act for cases involving children who obtain gender-affirming health care services.
HB 2183, RELATING TO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION - Establishes safe harbor protections for survivors of sexual exploitation who seek medical or law enforcement assistance.
HB 2184, RELATING TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE - Prohibits contributions from persons convicted or found in violation of various campaign finance, ethical, or lobbying offenses. Requires unlawful contributions to escheat to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund. Requires contributions held by persons who were convicted or found in violation of any of the various campaign finance, ethical, or lobbying offenses to be returned to their respective contributors and, if not returned, to escheat to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.
HB 2185, RELATING TO MATERNAL HEALTH - Establishes a Perinatal Implicit Bias Task Force within the Department of Human Services to examine the existing implicit bias training programs and make recommendations.
SB 2757, RELATING TO SEX TRAFFICKING - Aligns state sex trafficking laws with federal law by making the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor a form of sex trafficking.
SB 2758, RELATING TO SEX TRAFFICKING - Authorizes civil claims to be made against a business, owner of a business, or operator of a business that profits from sexual exploitation.