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

 

 

AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING

 

DATE:

Wednesday, February 25, 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 M E N D E D  A G E N D A

 

The following measure(s) has been DELETED from the agenda:  HB2372 HD1

 

 

HB 1886, HD1

(HSCR426-26)

Status

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS.

Establishes provisions limiting state and federal collaboration for purposes of immigration enforcement operations.  Establishes identification and facial coverings standards for state and federal law enforcement officers.  Establishes criminal offenses for improper facial coverings and lack of visible identification and unauthorized civil immigration interrogation, arrest, or detention.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

ECD, JHA

HB 2540, HD1

(HSCR428-26)

Status

RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Establishes provisions limiting state and federal collaboration for purposes of immigration enforcement operations.  Requires law enforcement agencies operating in the State to establish and publicly post written policies regarding civil immigration enforcement, including procedures governing law enforcement officer's authority to make any inquiry into a person's civil immigration status.  Prohibits law enforcement officers from initiating or prolonging a stop, detention, or arrest of a person for the purpose of determining the person's civil immigration status.  Establishes as a policy of the Department of Law Enforcement that civil immigration activity involving state or county participation or facilities shall only proceed under certain conditions.  Prohibits state and county involvement in civil immigration enforcement activity in certain locations.  Requires the Department of Law Enforcement to assist state and county agencies in maintaining compliance with civil immigration enforcement policy.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

ECD, JHA

HB 1839, HD1

(HSCR335-26)

Status

RELATING TO IMMIGRATION.

Requires state and county law enforcement agencies to notify an individual in the custody of a state or county law enforcement agency of their rights before any interview with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement pertaining to certain matters regarding civil immigration violations can commence.  Designates all records relating to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to detained individuals provided by a state or local law enforcement agency as public records.  Requires state and county law enforcement agencies that have provided the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to a detained individual within the previous year to hold two public forums per year.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

ECD, JHA

HB 1769, HD1

(HSCR601-26)

Status

RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES.

Requires the Director of Corrections and Rehabilitation to incrementally return committed felons incarcerated in private, out-of-state correctional institutions to in-state correctional facilities.  Requires reports to the Legislature.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

PBS, JHA

HB 1628, HD1

(HSCR600-26)

Status

RELATING TO COMPASSIONATE RELEASE.

Establishes a protocol for compassionate release for certain ill or seriously debilitated incarcerated persons.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

PBS, JHA

HB 2480, HD1

(HSCR394-26)

Status

RELATING TO EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

Protects emergency responders from liability during periods of evacuation.  Provides that individuals who wilfully fail to comply with predictive evacuation orders assume the risk and waive liability.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

PBS, JHA

HB 2288, HD1

(HSCR397-26)

Status

RELATING TO PAROLE ELIGIBILITY.

Expands the types of programs in which a committed person may participate to be eligible for parole.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

PBS, JHA

HB 469, HD1

(HSCR162-26)

Status

RELATING TO PARKING FOR DISABLED PERSONS.

Requires the Disability and Communication Access Board to issue a disability travel placard to an applicant who has a valid removeable windshield placard and provides proof of travel.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HLT, JHA

HB 1550, HD1

(HSCR359-26)

Status

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Excludes drug testing products from the definition of drug paraphernalia under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HLT, JHA

HB 1573, HD2

(HSCR686-26)

Status

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Requires electronic smoking device and e-liquid manufacturers to certify to the Department of Attorney General annually that the manufacturer received a Marketing Granted Order from the federal Food and Drug Administration and that the manufacturer is in compliance with federal regulations and state laws.  Requires the Department to compile and make public a directory of all electronic smoking device and e-liquid manufacturers and products duly certified.  Establishes penalties for manufacturers that fail to comply with the certification requirements and for other parties that acquire, possess, transport, keep, sell, or offer for sale products that are not in the directory.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD2)

 

HLT, CPC, JHA

HB 1626, HD1

(HSCR379-26)

Status

RELATING TO YOUTH PENALTIES.

Prohibits the assessment of any fees, fines, or court costs against a person who was adjudicated for an offense committed during the person's minority, or against the person's parent or guardian, and discharges all related debt obligations assessed before the effective date of the Act.  Encourages the use of community service and other programs that employ aina-based principles.  Repeals certain penalties imposed on parents, guardians, or other persons associated with unaccompanied children in streets and unmarried minors in dance halls.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HSH, JHA

HB 1705, HD1

(HSCR310-26)

Status

RELATING TO CHILD CUSTODY.

Allows licensed mental health counselors to be appointed as child custody evaluators.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HSH, JHA

HB 1959, HD1

(HSCR378-26)

Status

RELATING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

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.  (HD1)

 

HSH, JHA

HB 1962, HD1

(HSCR371-26)

Status

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.  (HD1)

 

HSH, JHA

HB 1963, HD1

(HSCR372-26)

Status

RELATING TO IMAGE-BASED SEXUAL ABUSE.

Establishes the nonconsensual disclosure of intimate or private images as a criminal offense.  Amends the criteria for an extended term of imprisonment to include an offender whose act of attempting to commit or committing the nonconsensual disclosure of intimate or private images against a minor or vulnerable adult resulted in the victim's death.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HSH, JHA

HB 2096, HD1

(HSCR530-26)

Status

RELATING TO AGGRAVATED CIRCUMSTANCES IN CHILD PROTECTIVE PROCEEDINGS.

Incorporates the definition of torture under the Penal Code for purposes of defining aggravated circumstances involving child torture under the Child Protective Act.  Authorizes the Family Court to make a finding of aggravated circumstances at any stage of a Child Protective Act proceeding prior to the termination of parental rights, rather than limiting these findings to the return hearing.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HSH, JHA

HB 2372, HD1

(HSCR367-26)

Status

RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT.

Authorizes registered nurses and qualified state-licensed health care professionals who are participating in a community paramedicine program approved by the Department of Health who are licensed by the State to administer medication as part of an assisted community treatment order's treatment plan to the subject of the order, under certain circumstances.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

 

HLT, JHA

 

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) 586-8510.

 

 

 

 

 

________________________________________

Rep. David A. Tarnas

Chair