HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
|
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: |
Friday, February 13, 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
|
RELATING TO IMMIGRATION. Prohibits any law enforcement agency or law enforcement official from entering into an agreement under title 8 United States Codes section 1357(g) or any other federal law that permits state or county agencies to engage in immigration enforcement. Prohibits law enforcement agencies or law enforcement officials from engaging in certain immigration-related actions, except under limited circumstances.
|
JHA |
|
|
RELATING TO SENTENCING. Limits the maximum term of imprisonment for misdemeanors, or for offenses punishable by up to or not exceeding one year, to three hundred sixty-four days. Allows individuals previously sentenced to a one-year term of imprisonment to apply to the court for a sentence modification to conform to the new limit.
|
JHA |
|
|
RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER. Appropriates funds to the Office of the Public Defender for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Deputy Public Defender III position.
|
JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO VISAS. Establishes uniform statewide requirements for policies and processes for the issuance of U and T visa certifications for noncitizen victims of crime that are consistent with federal laws and regulations governing U and T visas. Requires each state and county certifying entity to adopt a policy and process for the issuance of U and T visa certifications, consistent with those statewide requirements. Appropriates funds for the Department of the Attorney General to provide training to certifying officials and certifying entities on all federal and state requirements for U and T visa certifications. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
ECD, JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO PROTECTED COMMUNITY LOCATIONS. Establishes statewide standards for state and county agencies, officers, employees, contractors, and recipients of state funds, to limit participation in civil immigration enforcement in or near protected community locations. By 1/1/2027, requires all state and county agencies that operate protected community locations to adopt and post written policies, provide annual staff training, and maintain data privacy protections. Appropriates funds for implementation by the Attorney General. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
ECD, JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO CHILD WELFARE SERVICES. Establishes a working group within the Judiciary to improve family court processes, including access to legal representation for youth in the child welfare system. Appropriates funds for the working group. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HSH, JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO LIABILITY. Provides certain liability protections for nonprofit child welfare service organizations that are under contract with the Department of Human Services to provide child welfare services to children and families. Requires contracts between nonprofit child welfare service organizations and the State to include a state indemnification clause and requires these organizations to name the State as an additional insured. Prohibits punitive damages and pre- and post-judgment interest for nonprofit child welfare service organizations. Requires actions against nonprofit child welfare service organizations to be tried by the court, except in certain circumstances. Removes joint and several liability for nonprofit child welfare service organizations. Specifies that no bond shall be required from a nonprofit child welfare service organization on appeal. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HSH, JHA, CPC |
|
|
RELATING TO HOUSING. Establishes the Kamaaina Homes Program within the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to provide funding to the counties to purchase voluntary deed restrictions from eligible homebuyers. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HSG, JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO HOUSING. Restructures the conveyance tax to a marginal rate system for the sale of properties with residential use, adjusts the tax for multifamily properties to reflect value on a per-unit basis, and applies a cost-of-living adjustment to conveyance tax rates. Allocates revenues from conveyance tax collections. Allocates a portion of conveyance tax collections to the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund to fund infrastructure programs in county-designated transit-oriented development areas that meet minimum standards of transit-supportive density. Allocates a portion of conveyance tax revenues to the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust Fund. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
HSG/WAL, JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO THE RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD-TENANT CODE. Requires the Office of Consumer Protection to periodically publish an accessible, multilingual notice of tenant rights. Requires the notice to be included in the informational handbook on the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code maintained by the Office. Requires a landlord to provide a tenant with a copy of the notice of tenant rights in the tenant's preferred language, if available, and subjects the landlord to a fine for failure to do so. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
CPC, JHA, FIN |
The following measure(s) were previously heard on February 5, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. No public testimony will be accepted.
|
RELATING TO GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION. Appropriates funds to the Judiciary for the enforcement of gun violence protective orders. Appropriates funds to the Department of Law Enforcement to conduct public awareness campaigns on gun violence protective orders.
|
JHA, FIN |
|
|
The following measure(s) were previously heard on February 10, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. No public testimony will be accepted.
|
||
|
RELATING TO ANIMAL CONTROL. Establishes the Spay and Neuter Special Fund to reduce pet overpopulation, including the free-roaming cat population, and authorizes an income tax designation to provide revenues into the special fund. Requires cats over the age of five months to be surgically sterilized and prohibits cats that are not surgically sterilized from being brought into the State, with certain exceptions. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
|
AGR, 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 |
|
|
|
|