HB 2605 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO THE ARTS.

Summary

Establishes a position within the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts to support implementation and coordination of specialized arts programs and therapeutic arts interventions for underserved and neurodiverse populations. Appropriates funds for the position, programs, and interventions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 28, 2026 Last action Feb 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB2605 → HB2605_HD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove specific dollar amounts for funding, replacing them with blank fields likely for future appropriation. The effective date was drastically changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 3000, effectively delaying the law's implementation by over 700 years. The summary description was updated to clarify that the funds support programs, not just a single position.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on arts interventions for neurodivergent populations, but the timeline for implementation has been shifted to the year 3000.

FISCAL

Specific appropriation amounts of $63,452 and $106,548 were removed and replaced with blank lines.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 3000.

SCOPE

The summary description was expanded to explicitly mention funding for programs and interventions, not just a position.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 12, 2026

Committee

Reported from CAA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 246-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on CAA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Kapela, Kong, Garrett, Lee, M.; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Sayama, Reyes Oda.

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to CAA, FIN, referral sheet 6

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

15 primary · 0 co-sponsors