STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2805

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2727

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2727 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISCRIMINATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to lengthen the statute of limitations to file a complaint of discrimination with the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission to one year.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that existing law provides only one hundred eighty days for a person to file a complaint against unlawful discrimination with the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission, one of the shortest filing periods among comparable state agencies in the nation. People who experience discrimination often need time to process what happened, find legal advice, or deal with personal and financial challenges before they can file a complaint. Consequently, a short deadline may prevent these individuals from attaining justice before they even have a chance to act. This measure will extend the deadline to bring the State in line with other jurisdictions and ensure that victims of discrimination have a fair and reasonable opportunity to seek help regardless of available federal administrative remedies.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2727 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair