HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2026

 

COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY & HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS

Rep. David A. Tarnas, Chair

Rep. Mahina Poepoe, Vice Chair

 

Rep. Della Au Belatti

Rep. Jackson D. Sayama

Rep. Elle Cochran

Rep. Gregg Takayama

Rep. Mark J. Hashem

Rep. Diamond Garcia

Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa

Rep. Garner M. Shimizu

 

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

DATE:

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

TIME:

2:00 PM

PLACE:

VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE

Conference Room 325

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 1525

Status

RELATING TO ELECTIONS.

Appropriates funds to:  (1) the counties for more voter service centers for in-person voting; (2) the Office of Elections to print and mail the digital voter information guide to all registered voters; and (3) the Office of Elections to support a public outreach and engagement campaign to encourage greater voter participation.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 1885

Status

RELATING TO STANDARDS OF CONDUCT.

Prohibits a state agency from entering into any contract to procure or dispose of goods or services, or for construction, with any business that is owned or operated, or in which a controlling interest is held, by a relative or household member of a director or deputy director of a principal state department.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 1521

Status

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.

Clarifies that records created, received, maintained, or used by private contractors performing government functions on behalf of public agencies shall be subject to the Uniform Information Practices Act.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 1519

Status

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Requires disclosure of the names of compensated officers, and their immediate family members, of state or county contractors and grantees with contracts or grants exceeding $250,000.  Prohibits the compensated officers of state or county contractors, and their immediate family members, from making or soliciting certain campaign contributions for the duration of the contract exceeding $250,000.  Prohibits state or county grantees, including compensated officers and their immediate family members, from making or soliciting certain contributions for the duration of the grant exceeding $250,000.  Requires unlawful contributions to be returned to the contributor or escheat to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 2050

Status

RELATING TO PARTIAL PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS.

Increases the expenditure limit and the amount of partial public campaign financing available for all elective offices.  Adjusts the minimum amount of qualifying contributions certain candidates must receive to participate in the program.  Increases the matching fund payments for excess qualifying contributions.  Appropriates funds for the program.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 2051

Status

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Amends section 11-364, HRS, to provide that an excess contribution of more than $100 in cash, in the aggregate, from a single person during an election period to a candidate, candidate committee, or noncandidate committee shall escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund if not returned to the contributor within 30 days.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 2052

Status

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Prohibits state or county contractor's officers and any officer's immediate family, with contracts of $100,000 or more for goods or services or $250,000 or more for construction, from contributing to candidate or noncandidate committees, candidates, or any person for any political purpose for the duration of the contract.  Prohibits grantees, grantees' officers and grantees' officer's immediate family, with grants of more than $100,000, from contributing to candidate or noncandidate committees, candidates, or any person for any political purpose for the duration of the grant.  Requires any unlawful contribution to be returned to the contributor or it will escheat to the Hawaii election campaign fund.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 2053

Status

RELATING TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Amends section 11-357, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), to prohibit state and county elected officials as defined in section 11-342(d), HRS, from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions during any Regular Session or Special Session of the state Legislature, including any extension of any Regular Session or Special Session or any legislative recess day, holiday, or weekend.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 2054

Status

RELATING TO THE CAMPAIGN SPENDING COMMISSION'S ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM.

Amends various sections of Hawaii's campaign spending laws by requiring designated campaign finance forms to be submitted electronically through the Campaign Spending Commission's upgraded electronic filing system.

 

JHA, FIN

HB 2055

Status

RELATING TO THE CAMPAIGN SPENDING COMMISSION.

Adjusts the salaries of the Campaign Spending Commission's Executive Director and Associate Director to align with similar government officials who have compliance and enforcement responsibilities.  Appropriates funds.

 

JHA, 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.

 

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) 586-6325. 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) 586-6325.

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________

Rep. David A. Tarnas

Chair