STAND. COM. REP. NO. 744-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2250

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. 2250 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR CLAIMS AGAINST THE STATE, ITS OFFICERS, OR ITS EMPLOYEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to satisfy several claims against the State, its officers, or its employees.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; Department of Education; Department of the Attorney General; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; and Department of Transportation. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Department of the Attorney General testified that it has advised its client agencies on how to avoid claims such as those included in this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Appropriating:

(A) $1,223,732.22 in general funds for a reimbursement for U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Treasury Office of Inspector General Reminding All Emergency Rental Assistance Award Recipients of Responsibilities and Requirements for Reporting Fraud and Reimbursing Fraud Losses and Unallowable Costs dated October 4, 2024;

(B) $400,000.00 in general funds for a settlement in the case of D.C. v. State of Hawaii, Department of Education;

(C) $8,000,000.00 in general funds for a settlement in the case of In the Matter of K.P. v. Department of Education, State of Hawaii;

(D) $75,000.00 in general funds for a settlement in the case of United Public Workers v. Keith Hayashi;

(E) $200,000.00 in general funds for a settlement in the case of Joshua Spriestersbach v. Office of the Public Defender;

(F) $68,186.76 out of the State Highway Fund for a judgment in the case of Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele v. State of Hawaii; and

(G) $600,000.00 out of the State Highway Fund for a settlement in the cases of Cransten Takayama v. Aaron Napoleon, Shauntel Takayama v. Aaron Napoleon, Maximum Legal Services Corp. v. Aaron Napoleon, and Donoven Ruiz v. Aaron Napoleon;

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

(3) 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. 2250, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2250, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair