Hawaii state senators on Tuesday advanced a slight increase to the minimum wage and another measure that would legalize recreational pakalolo for anyone 21 years and older.
While this is the first year a recreational pot measure has cleared a full floor vote, it appears dead on arrival in the House of Representatives. A key House chairman said he may not hear the measure.
The House meanwhile advanced measures allowing certain nurses to perform abortions after significant debate on the floor. Those bills are among hundreds that crossed over between the House and the Senate on Tuesday.
More stringent gun control laws also drew some attention during floor debates. And the new federal stimulus bill may spell death for certain tax credit proposals.
Senate President Ron Kouchi presided over the floor session Tuesday. The State Capitol is still closed to the public.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Recreational pot measures crop up almost every year, but most never gain traction. In 2019, a similar bill cleared its first Senate committee but failed to advance beyond that.
If Senate Bill 767 is ultimately successful, however, Hawaii would become the 16th state to legalize recreational marijuana. Individuals would be able to possess up to 30 grams of weed under SB 767.
The regulatory scheme would be similar to Hawaii’s medical pot program. The state Department of Taxation would administer the recreational pot program and issue licenses to growers and sellers.
Tax Director Isaac Choy has previously told lawmakers that the department does not yet have expertise in regulating cannabis and warned that dispensaries would need to pay out taxes in cash because of banking regulations.
There was little discussion on Senate Bill 767 Tuesday. Sens. Lorraine Inouye, Kurt Fevella, Bennette Misalucha and Michelle Kidani voted no.
Inouye worried about a possible rise in drug use and said there’s no guarantee that illegal drug sales will stop. She also echoed enforcement concerns from state departments.
House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Nakashima said he is not inclined to hold a hearing on the legalization bill, which means the measure will probably die for the year.
“On legalization, I really think we need to get the medical marijuana program up and running in a much more healthy way before we’re ready for any kind of legalization,” Nakashima said. “I really think the dispensaries really need to be given a chance to really perform.”
APRNs To Perform Abortions
The longest debate of the day for House lawmakers revolved around House Bill 576, which would authorize advanced practice registered nurses to perform aspiration abortions, which is a procedure that involves suction to terminate an early pregnancy.
Republican Rep. Gene Ward, who opposed the bill, declared on the House floor that “life doesn’t belong in a vacuum cleaner.”
GOP Rep. Bob McDermott, who said he is “pro-life,” questioned the wisdom of allowing non-physicians to perform abortions, and Republican Rep. Val Okimoto said she is also “unapologetically pro-life.”
Okimoto said her grandmother had to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy or give birth, and “this is one of the most difficult decisions we may make as women, no matter our background.”
Her grandmother chose to give birth to a daughter and put her up…
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