THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2055
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to civil rights.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Chapter 368, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§368-   Civil rights violations helpline; established. (a) The civil rights commission shall establish and maintain a twenty-four hour, toll-free telephone helpline to assist individuals who have been harmed, whose immediate or extended family have been harmed, or who witness harm by federal troop deployments, federal law enforcement, or immigration enforcement operations in the State.

(b) The helpline shall:

(1) Assist individuals in finding resources, including all county and state government assistance programs for which they are eligible, information on social and legal assistance, and school emergency response, crisis intervention, and other programs for students;

(2) Receive anonymized calls relating to allegations or complaints of misconduct or harm caused by any federal law enforcement officer or military personnel operating in the State; and

(3) Have voicemail capabilities, an internet website, and provide translation and disability access services.

(c) Reports to the helpline of violations of state civil rights law shall be investigated by the civil rights commission.

(d) The civil rights commission shall advertise the helpline and make materials available to the public to encourage reports to the helpline for those who experience or witness civil rights violations.

(e) All reports and other communications to the helpline shall remain confidential pursuant to section 368-4.

(f) The civil rights commission shall maintain a secure database of all reports received by the helpline.

(g) The civil rights commission shall compile and submit an annual report to the legislature that includes aggregated data from the helpline and information on federal law enforcement and military deployments in the State. All personally identifiable information in the report shall be redacted. The report shall include the following:

(1) Number and type of reports received by the helpline;

(2) Law enforcement agencies involved;

(3) Number of arrests made, including the offense, charges filed, final disposition, and amount of time between the initial arrest and disposition;

(4) Patterns or trends regarding misconduct, excessive use of force, racial profiling, and other federal and state civil rights violations; and

(5) Recommendations for policy and training improvements.

(h) The civil rights commission shall convene at least one public hearing every calendar year to present findings from the annual public report described in subsection (g). The civil rights commission shall provide public notice of the hearing."

SECTION 2. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Civil Rights Commission; Civil Rights; Helpline; Federal Deployments; Annual Report

Description:

Requires the Civil Rights Commission to establish a helpline for individuals to submit reports of harms from federal deployments in the State. Requires the Civil Rights Commission to compile an annual report and hold an annual public hearing on data obtained through the helpline.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.