STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1365-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2519

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2519 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to extend the deadlines for the completion of law enforcement officer certification requirements.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement; Department of the Attorney General; Law Enforcement Standards Board; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Maui; Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of the County of Hawaiʻi; Kauaʻi Police Department; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the statewide law enforcement officer certification program requires substantial administrative, staffing, and operational capacity to be implemented fully and effectively. Despite progress made by the Law Enforcement Standards Board, the existing statutory deadlines do not align with the remaining work necessary to establish a comprehensive certification system, and that premature enforcement could create uncertainty regarding officer eligibility and expose law enforcement agencies and criminal proceedings to legal risk. This measure will allow the State to complete implementation of a uniform, statewide certification program that supports professional standards, public safety, and legal stability across all law enforcement agencies.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2519, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2519, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair