STAND. COM. REP. NO. 915-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1957

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 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1957 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SAFE ENTRYWAYS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish, for a city with a population of three hundred thousand or more, enforcement procedures to prevent domiciling or storing personal property on public property in a manner that blocks, obstructs, or otherwise impedes ingress or egress to private doorways or entranceways.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State continues to see an increase in unsheltered individuals, which has led to more individuals residing in public spaces, including in front of residential, commercial, and school entrances in urban areas. This creates a hazard for those trying to access these places, especially for kupuna, keiki, and individuals with disabilities or limited mobility. This measure establishes enforcement procedures to ensure that there is safe ingress and egress from private doorways and entrances.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Codifying the prohibition and enforcement framework under the Penal Code as the offense of prohibited activity at an entranceway, a violation subject to citation;

(2) Amending the scope of the prohibited conduct to prohibit a person from intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly sleeping, lying, sitting, remaining standing, or placing personal property, or a combination thereof, within ten feet of a private doorway or entranceway of a protected location in a manner that obstructs or materially interferes with ingress or egress;

(3) Adding exemptions for persons acting pursuant to state or county authorization, persons actively waiting to enter a protected location during the location's hours of operation, and persons present with the permission of the owner, lessee, or authorized agent of the protected location;

(4) Clarifying the graduated enforcement framework, which requires a verbal warning of violation, issuance of a citation after one hour for continued violation, and initiation of a county encampment or obstruction clearance protocol for continued violation after a verbal warning and reasonable opportunity to comply;

(5) Clarifying the handling, removal, and disposition of personal property during clearance, and authorizing the summary disposal of perishable, contaminated, refuse, or hazardous items only when supported by specific and articulable public health or safety conditions and documented by the officer;

(6) Deleting language specifically directing law enforcement officers on how to respond to and assess complaints or suspected violations, including requirements that officers not presume an immediate violation and make reasonable, polite inquiries;

(7) Amending the definition of "private doorway or entranceway" and adding definitions for "protected location" and "reasonable opportunity to comply";

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

(9) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1957, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1957, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair