A total of 55 bills introduced by freshmen majority lawmakers in the state House of Representatives have crossed over to the Senate, including measures by Maui County legislators to incentivize farmers who donate to food banks, to raise awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and to use bonds to help build the West Maui Hospital.

Eighteen new members joined the House this year, making it the largest class the Legislature has seen in 28 years, according to a House news release Thursday. Of the 18 members, 14 belong to the House majority, which is comprised of 45 Democrats.

In Maui County, the first-year lawmakers are Democratic Reps. Terez Amato, Elle Cochran and Mahina Poepoe.

They and other freshmen majority lawmakers gathered at the State Capitol on Thursday to highlight some of the measures that have advanced so far, including House Bill 619, which would establish an income tax credit for qualified farms that donate eligible food products or prepared food to food banks or pantries in the state.

“HB 619 will benefit Hawaii’s small farmers and those facing food insecurity in our state by providing tax relief to farmers and healthy nutritious foods to non-profit food banks,” said Poepoe, who represents East Maui, Molokai and Lanai and was one of the primary introducers of the bill. “It is a win-win situation for everyone.”

Another measure, House Bill 899, would designate the month of September as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Month to promote public awareness of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome costs the state nearly $1 billion per year,” said Amato, whose district covers South Maui. “The passage of HB899 to promote public awareness of FAS will save lives, prevent untold future human suffering, and open the opportunity for Hawaii to receive over $100 million in federal funding for medical services.”

Some of the bills that Cochran has introduced that crossed over to the Senate include House Bill 892 to pay for security positions at small boat harbors statewide, HB 1255 to authorize the use of special purpose revenue bonds to help pay for the construction of the West Maui Hospital and HB 654 to require state agencies to process energy and water data of certain properties through the federal Energy Star Portfolio Manager or other tool, in hopes of encouraging state buildings to be more environmentally sustainable.