Join Tom Yamachika, President of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, and Michelle Kim Stone, COO & General Counsel of Hawaii Employers Council, as they review employment-related bills, tax bills and other bills of interest recently approved during the 2024 legislative session that may impact your organization.

Attendees will learn about recently approved Hawaii employment-related bills and other bills of interest including:

• SB2715: Makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge, discipline, or otherwise penalize or threaten any adverse employment action against an employee because the employee declines to attend or participate in an employer-sponsored meeting that communicates the opinion of the employer about political matters, or declines to receive or listen to a communication from the employer that communicates the opinion of the employer about political matters.
• HB2463: Amends the definition of “employee” in Hawaii’s wage and hour law to exclude any employee who receives guaranteed compensation totaling $4,000 or more a month.
• HB2343: Expedites the enforcement of orders of wage payment violations by allowing the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations to file certified copies of the final orders in any court of competent jurisdiction.
• HB1944: Authorizes certain types of radiographical coverage and specialist consultations without a treatment plan within the context of workers’ compensation coverage for employees with cervical and lumbar spinal injuries, or suspected cervical and lumbar spinal injuries.
• HB2354: Clarifies that the Small Business Regulatory Review Board has the authority to review legislation affecting small businesses in response to requests from small business owners.

Recently approved Hawaii tax bills including:

• HB2404: Incrementally increases standard deduction amounts and widens income tax brackets for specific taxable years beginning after 12/31/2023.
• SB3070: Reduces the amortization of the ERS fund from 30 to 20 years following recent actuarial guidance.
• HB2485: Repeals an obsolete fee for a certified copy of a tax clearance.  Adds penalties for failure to report taxable rents.  Increases the unfair competition penalty for misrepresenting the absence of GET in purchase price.
• HB2486: Authorizes the Department of Taxation to serve administrative subpoenas outside the state.
• HB2488: Requires the chair of the Taxation Board of Review to have experience in Hawaii state taxes (as opposed to being an attorney or CPA in active practice).
• HB2489: Permanently exempts senior software developers in the Department of Taxation from civil service.
• SB2725: When a pass-through entity pays Hawaii tax on behalf of its owners, the credit may be carried forward for Hawaii income tax purposes (unlike credit for out-of-state taxes paid).
• SB2497: Amends the research and development tax credit to increase the cap, extends the sunset date of the research activities to 2029 and redefines eligible small business.