HCR 46 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RECOGNIZING OPEN WATER LIFEGUARDS AS FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII.

This House Concurrent Resolution formally recognizes open water lifeguards in Hawaii as first responders, acknowledging their critical role in public safety and emergency response. The resolution highlights that these professionals are among the first to arrive at beach and water emergencies, providing life-saving assistance, medical care, and scene management similar to police and firefighters. While the bill does not change laws or grant new legal powers, it serves as an official statement of recognition that encourages state and county agencies to provide lifeguards with the same rights, resources, and professional respect afforded to other first responders.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Mar 12, 2026 Last action Apr 2, 2026

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What changed between versions

HCR46 → HCR46_HD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was amended to reflect updated procedural details and formatting for the House of Representatives. The primary substantive change is the correction of the county name in the resolution text from 'Hawaiʻi County' to 'county of Hawaiʻi' to ensure grammatical consistency. Additionally, the list of officials receiving copies of the resolution was expanded to include the Chief of the Ocean Safety Division of the Maui Fire and Public Safety Department and the Fire Chief of the Honolulu Fire Department, ensuring all relevant local leaders are notified.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding which officials receive copies of the resolution was expanded to include the Maui Fire Chief and Honolulu Fire Chief, while the geographic scope of the recognition remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the spelling of the county name from 'Hawaiʻi County' to 'county of Hawaiʻi' for grammatical consistency within the resolution text.

Updated document metadata, including the author name, file version, and revision numbers, to reflect the House version of the bill.

ENFORCEMENT

Added the Chief of the Ocean Safety Division of the Maui Fire and Public Safety Department and the Fire Chief of the Honolulu Fire Department to the list of officials who must receive copies of the resolution.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on PBS as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).

lower

Apr 2, 2026

Committee

Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1700-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending referral to PBS.

lower

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Garrett.

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Committee

Referred to LAB, PBS, referral sheet 18

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Introduced

Offered

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

To be offered.

lower

17 primary · 0 co-sponsors