STAND. COM. REP. NO. 986-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1452

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 Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1452, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BIRTH CERTIFICATES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to include advanced practice registered nurses among the types of health care providers who can submit an affidavit for a new certificate of birth for certain birth registrants.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Plus Commission; Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center; Pride at Work – Hawaiʻi; HOKU PAC; Rainbow Family 808; Hawaiʻi Pacific Health; Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Association of Professional Nurses; and numerous individuals.

Your Committee finds that accurate and consistent identification documents are essential for individuals to safely and effectively engage in everyday activities, including accessing housing, employment, education, health care, and government services. For transgender and gender-diverse individuals, identity documents that do not accurately reflect their gender can create barriers to participation in civic and economic life, increase the risk of discrimination, and undermine the reliability and integrity of official records.

Your Committee further finds that existing limitations on the types of licensed health care providers authorized to support changes to birth certificates can create unnecessary administrative barriers and delays for individuals seeking to update their records. Expanding access by authorizing advanced practice registered nurses to submit affidavits will improve access to essential government documentation while maintaining appropriate professional standards. This measure promotes fairness and administrative efficiency by streamlining the process for obtaining accurate birth certificates and reducing avoidable obstacles to compliance with requirements under state law.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1452, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI, Chair