§1-3  Laws not retrospective.  No lawhas any retrospective operation, unless otherwise expressed or obviouslyintended. [CC 1859, §5; RL 1925, §5; RL 1935, §5; RL 1945, §4; am L 1955, c 57,§1(a); RL 1955, §1-6; HRS §1-3]

 

Attorney General Opinions

 

  New administrative rules superseded old rules as to allmatters except permit applications that were filed before July 1, 1994;further, on or after July 1, 1994, when statutory authority for old ruleswas repealed, the old rules were void and not in effect, the only exceptionbeing with respect to pending permit applications from the period beforeJuly 1, 1994.  Att. Gen. Op. 97-4.

 

Case Notes

 

  Section 386-5, as amended, could not be appliedretroactively.  910 F. Supp. 479.

  New divorce law construed as inapplicable to pending cases,old law applicable.  3 H. 304.

  Law making sale or possession of opium illegal notretrospective though dealing in opium was formerly licensed.  3 H. 672; 3 H.687.

  Cutting down period allowed for suit against government so asto bar claims, not unconstitutional when prior statute did not provide forenforcement of judgment.  11 H. 404.

  Retrospective law defined.  11 H. 404; 22 H. 96, 106; 42 H.532, 535-6 (from standpoint of constitutionality); 33 H. 766, 774 (distinguishingbetween constitutional and unconstitutional retrospective laws).

  It is a general rule that prospective operation is favoredconstruction.  11 H. 600, 620, overruled on another point 11 H. 654, 658; 22 H.96, 110; 28 H. 462, 467.

  Wrongful death statute inapplicable where death already hadoccurred.  27 H. 626.

  Income tax law expressly made effective on precedingJanuary 1, applies to income of calendar year last past.  33 H. 766. Reduced tax rate expressly made retrospective applies to income of precedingcalendar year.  21 H. 571.  Requirement of tax clearance as condition of countylicense, if deemed retrospective nevertheless not unconstitutional.  22 H. 96,107.

  Statute clearly intended to cure defect in prior statute andconfer benefit will be given retroactive operation.  34 H. 150, 158.

  Statute enacted after death of testator cannot jeopardizerights vested under the will.  34 H. 333.

  Legislature is powerless by subsequent enactment to varyterms of trust deed previously executed.  35 H. 1.

  Statute prescribing special rules of descent for land heldunder homestead agreement, inapplicable to existing agreement.  35 H. 550.

  Change in method of computing trustees' commissions,application to existing trust.  37 H. 111.

  Statute providing that subsequent marriage revokesdesignation of beneficiary, applicable though the marriage already hadoccurred.  42 H. 532.  Statute legitimatizing child of parents who marry afterits birth, applicable though the marriage already had occurred.  29 H. 258,aff'd 16 F.2d 273.

  Repeal in 1859 of provision for reservation of mineralrights, no effect on existing rights.  49 H. 429, 443, 421 P.2d 570.

  Cited in holding that §584-7 was intended to operateretrospectively.  59 H. 259, 581 P.2d 310.

  Applied.  63 H. 540, 632 P.2d 649.

  Change in maximum liability of real estate recovery fund.  64H. 74, 636 P.2d 1344.

  Section is only a rule of statutory construction and wherethe legislative intent may be ascertained, it is no longer determinative.  64 H.210, 638 P.2d 319.

  Amendments to driving under influence statute did not haveretrospective application.  72 H. 597, 825 P.2d 1065.

  To the extent department rule applied procedures establishedpursuant to no-fault amendments to no-fault claimant injured prior to effectivedate of amendments, rule invalid.  82 H. 249, 921 P.2d 169.

  As §607-14 does not expressly or obviously manifest an intentto be applied retroactively, the 1993 amendment did not apply retroactively tolitigation terminated prior to the effective date of the amendment, July 1,1993.  88 H. 46, 961 P.2d 611.

  It was the "obvious intention" of the legislatureto authorize the retroactive application of the part of Act 167, L 1990, thatauthorized the sentencing court the discretion to impose a sentence ofcommunity service instead of a fine.  77 H. 476 (App.), 888 P.2d 376.