KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
|
Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura, Chair |
|
Senator Angus L.K. McKelvey, Vice Chair |
AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING
|
DATE: |
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 |
|
TIME: |
1:00 PM |
|
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 M E N D E D A G E N D A
|
RELATING TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a Medicaid buy-in program for workers with disabilities. Requires the Department to adopt rules.
|
HHS, WAM |
|
|
RELATING TO INSURANCE. Beginning 1/1/2027, requires health insurers, mutual benefit societies, health maintenance organizations, and health plans under the State's Medicaid managed care program to provide coverage for biomarker testing.
|
HHS, CPN/WAM |
|
|
RELATING TO YOUTH PENALTIES. Prohibits the assessment of any fees, fines, or court costs against a person who was adjudicated for an offense committed during the person's minority, or against the person's parent or guardian, and discharges all related debt obligations assessed before the effective date of the Act. Encourages the use of community service and other programs that employ aina-based principles. Repeals certain penalties imposed on parents, guardians, or other persons associated with unaccompanied children in streets and unmarried minors in dance halls.
|
HHS, JDC |
|
|
RELATING TO DANGEROUS INTOXICATION. Establishes the offenses of dangerous intoxication and habitual dangerous intoxication. Provides for civil protective custody and transport for emergency examination under section 334-45, HRS, in lieu of arrest for dangerous intoxication in specified circumstances, and bars prosecution when civil protective custody is used. Requires probation with mandatory treatment for habitual dangerous intoxication, with incarceration only upon probation violation. Makes conforming amendments to chapter 334, HRS.
|
HHS, JDC |
|
|
RELATING TO THE DISABILITY AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS BOARD. Requires the Disability and Communication Access Board to study the health care communication needs of patients who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind. Requires a report to the Legislature 20 days prior to the 2027 Regular Session.
|
HHS, WAM |
|
|
RELATING TO COMMUNITY CARE FOSTER FAMILY HOMES. Clarifies that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who meet an intermediate care facility or nursing facility level of care shall not be denied residency in a licensed community care foster family home solely because of their disability or enrollment in a specific medicaid waiver program.
|
HHS, JDC |
|
|
RELATING TO HEARING AIDS. Exempts from the general excise tax, gross receipts from the sale of hearing aids received by a hospital, infirmary, medical clinic, health care facility, pharmacy, or a practitioner licensed to administer drugs to an individual. Sunsets 1/1/2028.
|
HHS, WAM/CPN |
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
_____________________________________ Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura Chair |