HONOLULU (KHON2) -- State lawmakers are closing out the 2025 legislative session with major moves and some high-profile misses.
The state budget passed, a wildfire utility bill advanced, but a controversial gun control measure failed to clear the final vote.
The biggest bill to pass? House Bill 300 -- the state's two-year budget totaling nearly $40 billion.
The budget pours millions into affordable housing, homelessness, education, healthcare and tax relief, with some of the biggest investments aimed at easing the cost of living.
Also crossing the finish line, Senate Bill 897, potentially limiting the liability of some utilities, like Hawaiian Electric, for damages caused by wildfires, allowing them to recover costs through rate adjustments. Opposing Senators were concerned about responsibility.
"If the PUC chooses to set a cap for a time period, say 10 years, which has been proposed on some conversations, and multiple wildfires happen during that time, the utility could be shielded from full responsibility for all those fires combined! It's crazy," said Senator Jarrett Keohokalole (D-Kailua, Kaneohe).
"I think we tried our best to at least get something to the finish line. This is, I guess I will reiterate, this is just the beginning. This is not the end. And we don't know what the public utilities commission is going to find and what they're going to determine," said Senator Troy Hashimoto (D- Wailuku, Kahului, Waihee), who served as chair of the conference committee.
But not everything passed. Senate Bill 401, which aimed to ban assault-style rifles and shotguns, died in a close and contested vote.
"If you're going to take the tools out of the two belt for the farmers and ranchers that are helping control this on Maui County, we have the deer population. We're dealing with a lot of wild pigs. So we have, conceptually, we agree on the safety side, how we implement that, that's where we run into some of the differences," said Senator Tim Richards (D-North Hilo).
"They're here fighting for their hobby, and I respect that, but I'm here fighting for the safety of our communities and for keiki," said Chris Marvin, Everytown for Gun Safety Army Veteran and National Veterans Lead.
Senate President Ron Kouchi summed up the session with just one letter -- "I" for incomplete.
"With what is looming federally and the uncertainty, we have been trying to make the best decisions that we can without knowing if it's going to stick. So 'I' is the only grade I can think of giving us," said Kouchi.
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The legislative session officially wraps up on Friday. But there is talk of having to come back for a special session in October, to revisit the state's budget once the federal budget takes effect.
