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: |
Wednesday, March 18, 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 DEMENTIA. Establishes the Hanai Memory Network Program within the Executive Office on Aging to create a network of dementia care specialists and support systems to assist individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO HEALTH CARE. Expands the definitions of "preceptor" and "volunteer‑based supervised clinical training rotation" applicable to the Healthcare Preceptor Tax Credit to improve accessibility for providers to receive income tax credits for acting as preceptors, including removing "primary care" from the criteria to qualify as a preceptor. Adds physician assistants, dietitians, and social workers to the list of preceptors and eligible students. Expands eligibility for the tax credit to include accredited residency programs that require preceptor support. Adds the Director of Health and representatives of residency programs with eligible students to the Preceptor Credit Assurance Committee. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, CPN/WAM |
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RELATING TO HEALTH CARE. Prohibits persons from interfering with another person's access to or from a health care facility or disrupting the normal functioning of a health care facility. Makes violations a petty misdemeanor. Establishes a private right of action. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action for injunctive or other equitable relief. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO COMMUNITY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINICS. Establishes the Community Behavioral Health Clinics Certifying Office to certify community behavioral health clinics and provide technical assistance for clinics seeking certification. Establishes the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Oversight Board. Amends the composition of the Advisory Commission on Drug Abuse and Controlled Substances and State Council on Mental Health to include a member from the Community Behavioral Health Clinics Certifying Office. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, WAM/JDC |
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RELATING TO PRIMARY CARE. Establishes the Primary Care Providers Working Group
within the State Health Planning and Development Agency to address issues
relating to, and develop recommendations for the stabilization of, primary
care services in Hawaii. Requires the Working Group to make a report to the
Legislature. Sunsets the Working Group on 6/30/2027. Effective 7/1/3000.
(HD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO FAMILY. Establishes an exemption from mediation in parentage proceedings where there are allegations of domestic abuse. Clarifies the exemption from mediation in divorce proceedings as it relates to domestic abuse. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Temporarily specifies that a court may grant a deferred acceptance of guilty plea only for petty misdemeanor offenses, rather than for misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor offenses. Extends for five years certain provisions from Act 19, SLH 2020, and Act 238, SLH 2021, relating to abuse of family or household members, including establishing a petty misdemeanor offense of abuse of family or household members, clarifying penalties for violations, and allowing a deferred acceptance of guilty plea for misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor abuse of family or household members offenses. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT. Clarifies that community mental health outpatient programs that have agreed to provide mental health services to a defendant as part of an assisted community treatment order may prepare a certificate for assisted community treatment and provide the certificate to a defendant and may file an assisted community treatment petition with the Family Court. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO BACKGROUND CHECKS. Clarifies and streamlines background check requirements for healthcare facility applicants, operators, and direct patient access workers. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE SERVICES. Appropriates funds for the Department of Human Services to contract with one or more organizations specializing in domestic violence to provide training and on-site staff in Child Welfare Services Branch offices to support all aspects of screening for and addressing domestic violence within a case. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE FINANCING. Establishes a joint legislative Long-Term Care Financing Advisory Commission to examine the feasibility of different financing options for long-term care services and supports. Permits the Commission, through the Auditor, to contract for services of a part-time project director and prepare proposals for contracts for consultants to support the work of the Commission. Requires the Commission to submit reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO INSURANCE. For policies, contracts, plans, and agreements issued or renewed after 12/31/2026, requires insurers, mutual benefit societies, and health maintenance organizations to provide coverage for standard fertility preservation services for persons undergoing medically necessary treatment that may cause iatrogenic infertility. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, CPN |
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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 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SYSTEMS OF CARE. Modernizes Hawaii's emergency medical services laws to align with current best practices. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
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HHS, JDC |
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RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES. Appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services to issue supplemental contracts to community-based organizations to address increases in costs related to labor, insurance, utilities, rent, and gas. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
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HHS, 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 Joy A. San Buenaventura Chair |
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