Nine new state laws to take effect on Jan. 1
New laws taking effect on Jan. 1 will increase financial reporting requirements of charitable trusts and organizations, strengthen penalties against notaries public for criminal misconduct, tighten compliance and training requirements for procurement officers, amend the insurance investment law and enhance regulations of the money transmitters industry.
- Act 142 updates the insurance code to allow insurers more flexibility in their investments in keeping with standards set by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, without decreasing the protection to insurance policyholders.
- Act 174 requires charitable trusts and nonprofit organizations to register and file annual financial reports with the state attorney general. The reports will be reviewed for potential violations. The law also authorizes the attorney general to conduct investigations into possible violations.
- Act 175 increases penalties against notaries public who fail to verify the signer of an official document or who misuse their notary powers.
- Act 194 transfers procurement training responsibilities from the Department of Human Resources Development to the State Procurement Office and requires state procurement officers to attend mandatory training.
- Act 203 allows the state procurement officer to impose daily fines on all procurement officers when they do not comply with his determinations.
- Act 195 will require criminal background checks on money transmitters, allows data sharing with other states and federal agencies where a money transmitter is doing business and increases fees charged to money transmitters to regulate their industry.
- Act 80 is intended to protect Hawaii’s keiki from Internet predators and other sex offenders and makes an online registry of convicted sex offenders more useful to law enforcement agencies and the public.
- Act 157 makes failure to pay child support, medical support or other remedial care a civil contempt of court after it is proven that the parent was present in court and was served with an order to pay.
- Act 34 prohibits the consumption of alcohol on any public common area within a public housing project.
