HB 610 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO COLD CASE INVESTIGATIONS.

HB 610 creates a new Cold Case Investigation Unit within the Department of the Attorney General and appropriates funding for its operations. The unit will focus on reviewing unresolved criminal cases, directly affecting the Attorney General's Department by providing dedicated resources for these investigations. Key provisions include establishing the unit's structure and allocating state funds for its staffing and activities. The bill is scheduled to take effect on July 1, 3000.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB610 → HB610_HD1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to remove specific language prioritizing Indigenous victims and to change the effective date from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 3000. These changes significantly alter the bill's focus and operational timeline.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the explicit requirement to prioritize cases involving Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and other Indigenous victims, shifting the focus to a general cold case unit.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the mandate to prioritize investigations of cases involving Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Alaskan, or other indigenous victims.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the Act from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 3000, effectively delaying implementation indefinitely.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'cold case' requiring that all leads be exhausted and the case closed for a significant period.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new subsection clarifying that the unit may proactively offer assistance but cannot assist with active criminal investigations.

TECHNICAL

Updated metadata including author names, bill numbers, and version identifiers.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 725) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Hashem, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Belatti, Cochran.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 2

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

6 primary · 0 co-sponsors