KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Senator Mike Gabbard, Chair |
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Senator Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Vice Chair |
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Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura, Chair |
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Senator Angus L.K. McKelvey, Vice Chair |
NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Monday, February 2, 2026 |
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TIME: |
3:00 PM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 224 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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TIMESLOT: |
AEN |
PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY
The Legislature is accepting written, videoconference, and in-person testimony at public hearings.
A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.
A G E N D A
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RELATING TO THE FUEL TANK ADVISORY COMMITTEE. Requires the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee to hold at least one regular meeting during each calendar quarter. Appropriates funds.
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AEN/HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. Establishes a PFAS Working Group within the Department of Health to investigate the existence and environmental dangers of per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances and other related chemicals. Requires reports to the Legislature.
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AEN/HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS. Requires an owner or operator of an underground storage tank or tank system with a confirmed release to meet certain standards for the restoration of the environment. Establishes a rebuttable presumption that any detection of these contaminants in the vicinity of an underground storage tank or a tank system after a confirmed release is a result of the confirmed release.
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HHS/AEN, JDC |
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RELATING TO WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT. Requires certain wastewater treatment plants to test sewage sludge and any other residual material for the presence of PFAS. Requires the Department of Health to adopt administrative rules for the safe disposal and sequestration of sewage sludge and other residual material that contain specific amounts of PFAS. Prohibits the issuance or renewal of permits if testing yields PFAS in sewage sludge or other residual material on land used for agronomic purposes, on land where drainage tiles have been installed, on land that drains into waters of the State, or land in a five hundred-year floodplain.
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HHS/AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO WATER POLLUTION. Requires a landowner in possession of ten thousand or more acres in the State to be liable for damages and fines arising from runoff originating on the land and entering into state waters or onto state lands. Requires the Department of Health to adopt rules and prioritize enforcement of water pollution control regulations in rural areas where there are existing reports of runoff and other forms of water pollution.
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HHS/AEN, JDC/WAM |
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RELATING TO WASTEWATER SYSTEMS. Requires the Department of Health to amend its administrative rules to: (1) Set the maximum number of dwellings and dwelling units that may be connected to a single individual wastewater system to five dwellings and dwelling units; and (2) Set the maximum number of bedrooms that may be connected to a single individual wastewater system to six bedrooms.
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HHS/AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO CESSPOOLS. Amends the deadlines for the upgrade or conversion of cesspools to Director of Health-approved wastewater system or connection of cesspools to a sewerage system. Requires priority 1 cesspools to be upgraded, converted, or connected by 12/31/2050, and phases the deadlines for lower priority cesspools in later years. Requires the Director of Health, in consultation with the counties, to determine the prioritization level of all cesspools in the State.
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HHS/AEN, WAM |
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Decision Making to follow, if time permits.
All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.
Please go to the Legislature's website, https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov, to submit written testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Create a free account on the website, or sign in to an existing account, then click on the "Participate" drop down menu and select the "Submit Testimony" option to get started. While submitting your written testimony, you will be prompted to indicate if you would also like to testify at the hearing in-person or remotely via videoconference.
Please note the following:
· The number of oral testifiers and/or time allotted to each testifier may be limited by the Chair when necessary to adhere to the committee hearing schedule. We may not be able to accommodate everyone who requests to testify orally.
· Testifiers for this hearing will be limited to 2 minutes each.
If you wish to testify via videoconference during the hearing, please review the detailed step-by-step instructions for testimony procedures before you submit your written testimony. Here's a direct link to the instructions: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/testimonyinstructions.pdf
For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. You can also visit their website at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.
For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please call the committee clerk at the telephone number listed below or email AENcommittee@capitol.hawaii.gov. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.
For amended notices: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored. If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT 808-586-6830.
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_____________________________________ Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura Chair |
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_____________________________________ Senator Mike Gabbard Chair |
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