HB 1138 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO OCEAN USER SAFETY.

Summary

Authorizes the Board of Land and Natural Resources to issue emergency rules which may be in effect for up to 365 days for the regulation of commercial and recreational use of water sports equipment to promote ocean user safety. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB1138 → HB1138_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to shift its focus from issuing long-term interim rules to issuing short-term emergency rules regarding water sports equipment. This change allows the Board of Land and Natural Resources to act quickly in response to immediate safety threats, with rules lasting up to 365 days instead of the previous 24-month limit. The definition of 'water sports equipment' was also moved to the main statutes to ensure clarity.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a general authorization for interim rulemaking to a specific emergency authority for regulating water sports equipment to address imminent public safety risks.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the rulemaking authority from 'interim rules' (24-month limit) to 'emergency rules' (365-day limit) to allow faster response to safety threats.

TIMELINE

Updated the bill's effective date from immediate approval to July 1, 3000.

DEFINITION

Moved the definition of 'water sports equipment' from a separate section into the main statutory text to align with the new emergency rule context.

ENFORCEMENT

Updated the title and description to reflect the shift from standard interim regulations to emergency regulations.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 13, 2025

Committee

Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 601) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Lamosao, Belatti, Ichiyama, Morikawa, Poepoe, Souza; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Iwamoto, Shimizu; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Woodson.

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

Referred to WAL, JHA, referral sheet 3

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors