HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2026

 

COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

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

 

 

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

DATE:

Friday, February 13, 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

 

HB 1535

Status

RELATING TO AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS.

Establishes an income tax credit for the purchase and installation of automated external defibrillator devices by certain places of public accommodation.

 

HLT, FIN

HB 1765

Status

RELATING TO SPEARFISHING SAFETY.

Establishes safety-warning requirements regarding spearfishing.  Effective 7/1/2027.

 

HLT, CPC

HB 1549

Status

RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.

Repeals the law prohibiting drug paraphernalia under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

 

HLT, JHA

HB 1550

Status

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Excludes drug testing products from the definition of drug paraphernalia under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

 

HLT, JHA

HB 1995

Status

RELATING TO PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Provides that people who are blind or deaf are eligible to apply for and receive a disabled paid parking permit.

 

HLT, JHA

HB 1671

Status

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Allows a licensed dental hygienist to place interim therapeutic restorations in public health settings under the general supervision of licensed dentist.

 

HLT, CPC

HB 1643

Status

RELATING TO PHARMACY.

Specifies a framework for the administration of audits of records of pharmacists and pharmacies.

 

HLT, CPC

HB 1978

Status

RELATING TO THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

Appropriates funds for the planning, design, site work, and construction of a new outpatient care center in North Kona.

 

HLT, FIN

HB 2229

Status

RELATING TO MICROENTERPRISE HOME KITCHENS.

Authorizes microenterprise home kitchens to prepare and sell food directly to consumers without food establishment permits or routine inspections, subject to consumer disclosure and basic food safety requirements.  Clarifies that microenterprise home kitchens are not food establishments or food processing establishments.  Authorizes the Department of Health to conduct investigations on microenterprise home kitchens in response to complaints, foodborne illness outbreaks, and imminent threats to public health.

 

HLT, CPC

HB 2619

Status

RELATING TO HOMEMADE FOOD PRODUCTS.

Requires the Department of Health to adopt rules to authorize and regulate farm kitchens on the same basis as home kitchens producing homemade food products.

 

HLT, CPC

HB 2319

Status

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.

 

HLT, CPC

HB 2173

Status

RELATING TO AMBULANCES.

Appropriates funds to the Department of Health to purchase of one advanced life support ambulance and related equipment to be based in central Maui, fund pay-related personnel costs for state-certified emergency medical services personnel, and increase the predictability and stability of available air ambulance services for all islands in the State. 

 

HLT, FIN

HB 2576

Status

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.

 

HLT, JHA

HB 2187

Status

RELATING TO HEALTH CARE.

Prohibits health care facilities, health care providers, and emergency medical services from furnishing medical debt to a consumer credit reporting agency.  Prohibits consumer credit reporting agencies from reporting or maintaining medical debt information in the file on a consumer.

 

HLT, CPC

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.

 

The livestream and/or cable TV broadcast of this meeting will include closed captioning.  If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation (including oral, written, or ASL interpretive services) or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee clerk at (808) 586-6340. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.

 

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. Gregg Takayama

Chair