STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3749

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2293

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2293, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HARM TO STUDENTS REGISTRY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify the scope of the Department of Education's harm to students registry by excluding K-12 students and by providing that contractors and volunteers are included only if their roles involve interaction with students.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education and Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools.

Your Committee finds that many contractors with the Department of Education have limited or no student contact and applying registry requirements to these individuals creates an administrative burden without improving safety. This measure will clarify the application of registry requirements to ensure that the registry remains focused on its purpose of protecting students while avoiding unnecessary complexity for schools and the Department of Education.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2293, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair