HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
|
Rep. Gregg Takayama, Chair |
|
Rep. Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Vice Chair |
|
Rep. Terez Amato |
Rep. Jenna Takenouchi |
|
Rep. Daisy Hartsfield |
Rep. David Alcos III |
|
Rep. Lisa Marten |
Rep. Diamond Garcia |
|
Rep. Ikaika Olds |
|
|
Rep. Lisa Marten, Chair |
|
Rep. Ikaika Olds, Vice Chair |
|
Rep. Terez Amato |
Rep. Jenna Takenouchi |
|
Rep. Daisy Hartsfield |
Rep. David Alcos III |
|
Rep. Sue L. Keohokapu-Lee Loy |
Rep. Diamond Garcia |
|
Rep. Gregg Takayama |
|
NOTICE OF HEARING
|
DATE: |
Friday, February 6, 2026 |
|
TIME: |
09:00 am |
|
PLACE: |
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE Conference Room 329 State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
Click here to submit testimony and to testify remotely or in person.
A live stream link of all House Standing Committee meetings will be available online
shortly before the scheduled start time.
Click here for the live stream of this meeting via YouTube.
A G E N D A
|
RELATING TO STATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. Authorizes the Department of Health to establish a vacation payout pilot project in which eligible Department of Health employees may defer unused vacation leave credits in favor of a pay out to provide home purchase down payment assistance. Report required. Sunsets June 30, 2029.
|
HLT, LAB, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO WORKPLACE VIOLENCE IN HEALTH CARE SETTINGS. Establishes statewide health care worker safety and workplace violence prevention requirements for health care facilities. Requires enforcement by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations in coordination with the Department of Health.
|
HLT, LAB, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO TAXATION. Excludes from the offense of unlawful shipment of tobacco products the direct sale of large cigars and pipe tobacco to adult consumers for personal use. Effective 1/1/2027.
|
HLT, CPC, FIN |
|
|
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 Updates outdated language to reflect correct terminology.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.
|
HLT, CPC, JHA |
|
|
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.
|
HLT, CPC, JHA |
|
|
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 for individuals and health care facilities harmed as a result of interference with a health care facility. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action for injunctive or other equitable relief.
|
HLT, JHA |
|
|
RELATING TO VETERANS. Repeals the specific deadline by which the Maui State Veterans Home must be assimilated into a state agency having a Maui affiliation. Requires the transfer of the Maui State Veterans Home to be completed as soon as practicable.
|
HLT, PBS, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO CANCER. Repeals the requirement that a certain amount received from the cigarette tax on the wholesale price of each article or item of certain tobacco products deposited into the Hawaii Cancer Research Special Fund must be used for debt service of capital expenditures and building maintenance. Appropriates funds for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.
|
HLT, HED, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT. Requires community health outpatient programs to prepare a certificate for assisted community treatment and provide the certificate to a defendant. Requires a petition for assisted community treatment to be heard within five days after the petition is filed.
|
HLT, JHA |
|
|
RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH. Appropriates funds to the Department of Health to contract with community-based organizations to provide preventive and early intervention mental health services to adolescents within the community. Requires a report to the Legislature.
|
HLT/HSH, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH. Establishes and appropriates funds for a one-year Digital Youth Mental Health Platform Pilot Project that will enable the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Department of Health to develop and make publicly available a digital platform designed to help young people address and manage mental health challenges. Requires a report to the Legislature.
|
HLT/HSH, FIN |
|
|
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.
|
HLT/HSH, FIN |
|
|
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.
|
HLT/HSH, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO HEALTH. Establishes within the Department of Health the KupunAloha program to provide in-home health care and support services to eligible participants who do not otherwise qualify for government assistance for these services. Appropriates moneys for the program.
|
HLT/HSH, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO HEALTH. Requires and appropriates funds for the State Health Planning and Development Agency to develop and publish a state plan on hearing loss.
|
HLT/HSH, FIN |
|
|
|
|
|
DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW
Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Testimony received after this time will be stamped late and left to the discretion of the chair to consider. While every effort will be made to incorporate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed, may not be processed.
Testimony submitted will be placed on the legislative website. This public posting of testimony on the website should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.
The chair may institute a per-testifier time limit.
Committees meeting in the morning must adjourn prior to the day's Floor Session. Therefore, due to time constraints, not all testifiers may be provided an opportunity to offer verbal comments. However, written submissions will be considered by the committee.
Please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior. Violations may result in ejection from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.
For remote testifiers, the House will not be responsible for bad connections on the testifier's end.
For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.
Click here for a complete list of House Guidelines for remote testimony.
FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are bolded.
For more information, please contact the Committee Clerk at (808) 586-6340
|
________________________________________ Rep. Lisa Marten Chair |
|
________________________________________ Rep. Gregg Takayama Chair |
|
|
|
|