HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2025
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Rep. David A. Tarnas, Chair |
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Rep. Mahina Poepoe, Vice Chair |
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Rep. Della Au Belatti |
Rep. Gregg Takayama |
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Rep. Elle Cochran |
Rep. Chris Todd |
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Rep. Mark J. Hashem |
Rep. Diamond Garcia |
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Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa |
Rep. Garner M. Shimizu |
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Rep. Amy A. Perruso |
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NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 |
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TIME: |
2:00 p.m. |
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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
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Click here for the live stream of this meeting via YouTube.
A G E N D A
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RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE. Requires that the Hawaiian version of a law be held binding if the law in question was originally drafted in Hawaiian, or if the law was originally drafted in English and if the law was subsequently amended, codified, recodified, or reenacted in Hawaiian, and meets certain criteria. (SD2)
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JHA, FIN |
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PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI, SECTION 3, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO ALLOW THE SENATE MORE TIME TO CONFIRM JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS. Proposes an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution to extend the amount of time allowed the Senate to consider and act on the appointments of justices and judges from thirty to sixty days for appointments made between April 1 and December 31 when the Senate is not in Regular Session or is about to adjourn the Regular Session.
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO PROSPECTIVE JURORS. Authorizes the Judiciary to determine the format of the juror qualification form and the means of its delivery and return. Authorizes the Judiciary to use more than one method of delivery and attempt to contact any one juror more than once. Removes the requirement that the form be mailed. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD1)
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JHA |
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RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY. Establishes positions and appropriates funds for Adult Services Probation of the First Circuit Court. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD1)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH COURT. Permanently establishes and appropriates funds for the Community Outreach Court as a division of the District Court of the First Circuit. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD2)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO WITNESS FEES. Increases the fees paid to witnesses in civil and criminal trials. Changes the fees paid for travel expenses from 20 cents a mile to the mileage allowance prescribed by the Administrator of General Services. Authorizes reimbursement to witnesses in civil trials for use of common carriers.
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO COURT-ORDERED PAYMENTS. Requires the Judiciary to contract with a collection agency or licensed attorney to collect delinquent court-ordered fees, fines, sanctions, and court costs. Repeals the authority of the Judiciary to contract with a collection agency or licensed attorney to collect delinquent restitution. Expressly allows courts to specify a period of time or installments for payment of fees and restitution. Requires district courts to hold payment compliance hearings once per year or as soon as practicable, until all fees, fines, and restitution are fully paid, and requires a defendant in district court to appear and show cause if the defendant fails to pay in full within a time specified by the court or fails to pay three consecutive installments. Makes corresponding amendments to related statutes. Appropriates funds. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD1)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE EXAMINATION OF CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS. Establishes the amount of compensation for private-sector examiners who evaluate a criminal defendant's penal responsibility or fitness to proceed in a legal case. Appropriates funds. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD1)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO THE DEFENSE OF STATE EMPLOYEES. Requires the State to defend professionally licensed or certified state employees from civil actions or proceedings, under certain circumstances. Clarifies that the employee may employ their own attorney at the employee's own expense. Establishes a process for the Attorney General to transfer or withdraw representation if the Attorney General declines to defend the employee.
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO DISCRIMINATION. Establishes provisions relating to civil remedies for discriminatory reporting to a law enforcement officer. Provides that any person who contacts a law enforcement officer to contact a person on the basis of the person's actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, national origin, place of birth, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity with the specific intent to infringe upon the person's certain rights shall be civilly liable for resulting damages. Requires the Department of Law Enforcement, in consultation with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, to provide guidance to the public on the enactment of this Act. Effective 9/1/2025. (SD2)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO IDENTIFICATION PROCESSING. Requires that the Attorney General's identification system include criminal cases initiated via citations that resulted in conviction, deferred acceptance of guilty or nolo contendere plea, or conditional discharge, and that a court order identification processing in such cases. (SD1)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO HATE CRIMES. Defines "reported hate crime". Requires reporting of all possible reported hate crimes to appropriate authorities, including consistent documentation and analysis of such incidents. Requires law enforcement officers to receive annual training to identify, investigate, and document hate crimes and possible hate crimes. Requires the Attorney General to establish or update guidelines, protocols, and training materials for the reporting and investigation of hate crimes and possible hate crimes. Effective 7/1/2077. (SD1)
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JHA, FIN |
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RELATING TO DEFAMATION. Protects individuals who make claims of sexual misconduct from defamation lawsuits unless the claims were proven to be made with malice. Effective 4/23/2057. (SD1)
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JHA |
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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 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.
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________________________________________ Rep. David A. Tarnas Chair |
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