KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura, Chair |
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Senator Angus L.K. McKelvey, Vice Chair |
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Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, Chair |
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Senator Carol Fukunaga, Vice Chair |
NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Friday, February 6, 2026 |
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TIME: |
9:00 AM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 229 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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TIMESLOT: |
CPN |
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 DISPOSABLE ELECTRONIC SMOKING DEVICES. Beginning 1/1/2027, prohibits selling, offering for sale, or distributing certain disposable electronic smoking devices.
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HHS/CPN, JDC |
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RELATING TO HEALTH. Requires electronic smoking device and e-liquid manufacturers to certify to the Department of Attorney General annually that the manufacturer received a Marketing Granted Order from the federal Food and Drug Administration and that the manufacturer is in compliance with federal regulations and state laws. Requires the Department to compile and make public a directory of all electronic smoking device and e-liquid manufacturers and products duly certified. Establishes penalties for manufacturers that fail to comply with the certification requirements and for other parties that sell products that are not in the directory.
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HHS/CPN, JDC/WAM |
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RELATING TO THE PSYCHOLOGY INTERJURISDICTIONAL COMPACT. Adopts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact to regulate the practice of telepsychology and temporary in-person, face‑to‑face practice of psychology by psychologists across state boundaries in the performance of their psychological practice. Requires the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to adopt rules to implement and administer the Compact. Effective 1/1/2027.
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HHS/CPN, WAM/JDC |
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RELATING TO SURGICAL ASSISTANTS. Requires the Hawaii Medical Board to require each person practicing medicine or podiatric medicine as a surgical assistant in the State to be licensed as a surgical assistant. Establishes exceptions. Requires the Hawaii Medical Board by rule to establish the application procedure, medical educational and training standards, examination requirements, if any, for surgical assistant licensure and degrees of supervision for surgical assistants. Establishes the Surgical Assistant Advisory Committee. Expands the services eligible for Medicaid Prospective Payment System reimbursement to include certain services furnished by a federally qualified health center or rural health clinic and provided by surgical assistants.
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HHS/CPN, JDC/WAM |
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RELATING TO HOSPITAL PRICE TRANSPARENCY. Requires each hospital in the State to comply with federal hospital price transparency requirements. Requires the Department of Health to monitor and enforce compliance. Establishes a process for patients to challenge debt collection actions filed by a noncompliant hospitals. Requires the Department of Health to publish a list of any enforcement actions taken against noncompliant hospitals. Requires hospitals to provide patients with an easy-to-understand itemized bill statement before initiating a debt collection action against a patient.
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HHS/CPN, JDC/WAM |
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RELATING TO INSURER PRIOR AUTHORIZATION. Establishes the Prior Authorization Committee to specify medical conditions for which prior authorization by the insurer for treatment is not required for health insurance coverage. Requires health plan insurers to align their prior authorization processes for other conditions with Medicare policies.
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HHS/CPN, WAM |
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RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS. Authorizes dispensaries to sell viable cannabis seeds to qualifying patients or their primary caregivers; provided that no more than 10 seeds per month may be purchased by, or on behalf of the qualifying patient. Requires the Department of Health to adopt any necessary rules.
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HHS/CPN, JDC/WAM |
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RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE. Requires health insurance carriers to honor a patient's written assignment of benefits to a substance use disorder treatment provider. Prohibits health insurance contracts from including anti-assignment clauses that restrict or invalidate a patient's right to assign benefits. Authorizes the Insurance Commissioner to adopt rules and take enforcement action to ensure compliance. Requires the Insurance Commissioner to publish an annual summary. Allows providers to bring civil actions to compel payment and obtain injunctive relief, damages, interest, and attorneys' fees for violations. Deems violations to be unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices. Requires insurers to furnish an explanation of benefits to the assigned provider upon request.
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HHS/CPN, JDC |
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RELATING TO HEALTH CARE. Establishes a broad definition of "qualified health care provider" in numerous areas of existing law. Clarifies and standardizes references to specific health care providers. Updates outdated language to reflect correct terminology. Makes numerous clarifying and conforming amendments to support these changes, including but not limited to chapters related to health, education, insurance, professions and vocations, the pain patient's bill of rights, the Uniform Probate Code, minors, the Child Protective Act, and the Penal Code. Repeals the obsolete Hawaii Health Corps.
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HHS/CPN, JDC/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 1 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 HHScommittee@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 808-586-6890.
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_____________________________________ Senator Jarrett Keohokalole Chair |
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_____________________________________ Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura Chair |
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