HB 389 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO UNCREWED AIRCRAFT OFFENSES.

HB 389 clarifies that using an uncrewed aircraft (drone) to assist in committing a felony makes the drone use part of the felony charge, not a separate offense. This means individuals who use drones to aid crimes like theft, vandalism, or trespassing would face the same felony penalties as the primary crime, without additional charges for the drone itself. The bill directly affects drone operators who might otherwise face dual penalties for both the underlying felony and the drone's use. Its key mechanism links drone operation directly to the felony commission, streamlining charges and avoiding redundant criminal classifications.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Jan 16, 2025 Signed May 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB389_HD1 → HB389_SD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This version of the bill updates the bill number from House Draft 1 to Senate Draft 1 and adjusts the effective date to March 2026. The core legal text regarding uncrewed aircraft offenses remains identical to the previous version, with no substantive changes to the law itself.

TIMELINE

The bill's effective date was changed from May 2006 to March 17, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The bill identifier was updated from HB 389 HD1 to HB 389 SD1, reflecting its progression to the Senate.

Authorship metadata was updated to reflect Senate staff members Noah Holck and Ainoa Naniole.

Internal document revision numbers and template IDs were updated to match the Senate draft version.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Final Reading as amended in SD 1 with Representative(s) Iwamoto voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Evslin excused (1).

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Introduced

House agrees to Senate amendment(s).

lower

Apr 14, 2026

Amended

House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).

lower

Apr 10, 2026

Introduced

Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 518) in amended form (SD 1).

lower

Apr 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.

upper

Mar 31, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in JDC were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Gabbard, Chang, San Buenaventura, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Mar 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing on 03-31-26 10:30AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC.

upper

Mar 18, 2026

Committee

Reported from TRS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3101) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on TRS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in TRS were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Inouye, Elefante, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kanuha, Lee, C..

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on TRS has scheduled a public hearing on 03-12-26 3:01PM; CR 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Re-Referred to TRS, JDC.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to TCA, JDC.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 223).

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to JHA, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 16, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors