Informing the Legislature that on May 30, 2025, the Governor signed the following bill into law: SB281 SD1 HD2 CD1 (ACT 147).

This document (GM 1247) is a procedural notification from Governor Green confirming the signing of S.B. 281 (ACT 147) into law on May 30, 2025. The actual bill (S.B. 281) establishes "torture" as a class A felony in Hawaii, specifically targeting severe abuse of minors or vulnerable people. It defines torture as causing serious injury, creating a pattern of abuse, or subjecting victims to acts like strangulation, burning, deprivation of food/water/clothing, or exposure to extreme temperatures on three or more occasions. The law applies to abusers who exert physical or psychological control over victims, with specific protections for minors (under 18) and vulnerable individuals (e.g., family members, incapacitated persons). The defense of "poverty or destitution" is recognized for deprivation-related offenses.