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 |
NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Friday, February 6, 2026 |
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TIME: |
1:00 PM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 225 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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 SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE. Requires hospitals with emergency departments that are licensed in Hawaii to submit syndromic surveillance data to the Department of Health. Authorizes the Department of Health, as needed, to establish by administrative rules a syndromic surveillance system under state jurisdiction that is independent of federal systems.
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HHS, JDC/WAM |
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RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SYSTEMS OF CARE. Modernizes Hawaii's emergency medical services statutes to align with current best practices.
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO LEAD MATERIALS IN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. Amends prohibitions on the use of lead materials in drinking water distribution to align with the Safe Drinking Water Act and related Code of Federal Regulations.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO INDEPENDENT AUDITS OF DEPOSIT BEVERAGE DISTRIBUTORS. Limits the independent audit requirement to deposit beverage distributors who distribute 2,000,000 or more deposit beverage containers a year. Identifies frequency of obtaining and submitting independent audits based on quantities of deposit beverage containers imported, manufactured, or distributed. Creates minimum requirements for independent audits.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE STATE HEALTH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY. Amends the functions and responsibilities of the State Health Planning and Development Agency. Adds a new definition of "health care." Amends the exemption threshold for bed changes to up to thirty per cent of existing licensed bed types. Exempts the Department of Health from certificate of need requirements. Effective 7/1/2026.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO BACKGROUND CHECKS. Authorizes applicants, operators, and third-party employers, rather than the Department of Health, to conduct background checks of employees and adult volunteers at healthcare facilities.
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO HOSPITAL LICENSING. Requires the Department of Health to adopt rules to allow hospitals to demonstrate compliance with all licensing inspections required by the State through accreditation or certification by any accreditation or certification organization recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO HOME HEALTH LICENSING. Authorizes the Department of Health to accept accreditation from an accreditation organization or a certification organization recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as demonstration that a licensed home health agency is in compliance with all licensing inspections required by the State. Specifies conditions under which a home health agency may be exempt from a licensing inspection on a continuing basis. Requires information obtained in reports of survey and accreditation or certification letters to be public information.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO HEALTH. Requires Medicaid and private insurance coverage for intravenous ketamine therapy to treat depression. Appropriates moneys.
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HHS, CPN/WAM |
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RELATING TO COMPLEX PATIENT TREATMENT. Appropriates funds to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health to contract with community-based organizations for a behavioral health complex patient model. Requires a report to the Legislature.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO CERTIFICATES OF NEED. Exempts from the certificate of need requirements certain health care facilities and services that address maternal and pediatric health, serve federally designated medically underserved rural areas, lower patient costs, are unlikely to be overprescribed, and assist certain vulnerable populations.
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HHS, WAM |
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 Joy A. San Buenaventura Chair |
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