This Senate Concurrent Resolution asks the federal government to provide additional funding to help Hawaii increase pay for adult corrections officers in the state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The bill addresses ongoing staffing shortages and high turnover by requesting federal financial support for competitive compensation, including base pay adjustments and retention incentives. It does not directly change state laws or budgets but serves as a formal request to federal officials to assist with workforce stabilization. The resolution aims to reduce vacancies and improve safety conditions without placing the full financial burden on state taxpayers.
Appropriates funds to the Judiciary for the efficient processing of temporary restraining orders and gun violence protective orders. Appropriates funds to the Department of Law Enforcement to conduct public awareness campaigns on gun violence protective orders. Effective 7/1/2055. (SD2)
Prohibits with certain exceptions, the use of facial coverings and requires visible identification by law enforcement officers and their vehicles in the performance of their duties. Requires state and county law enforcement agencies to establish policies regarding state and county cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. Prohibits law enforcement officers from prolonging a stop to inquire about a person's civil immigration status. Establishes criminal offenses for use of a mask or facial covering by a law enforcement officer, lack of visible identification, and unauthorized civil immigration arrest or detention. Effective 3/22/2075. (SD2)
Establishes the offenses of dangerous intoxication and habitual dangerous intoxication. Provides for civil protective custody and transport for emergency examination in lieu of arrest for dangerous intoxication in specified circumstances, and bars prosecution when civil protective custody is used. Requires probation with mandatory treatment for habitual dangerous intoxication, with incarceration only upon probation violation. Makes conforming amendments to chapter 334, HRS, relating to admission to psychiatric facilities and assisted community treatment. Delays implementation by one year. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
SB 2253 updates the "negligent injury in the first degree" offense to explicitly include injuries caused by drivers operating vehicles while intoxicated. This change directly affects drivers who cause injury to others while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The bill modifies the legal definition so that such incidents are prosecuted under this specific charge, ensuring they are treated as deliberate negligence under existing law. It does not change penalty levels but clarifies that intoxicated driving causing injury falls within this offense.
Limits the maximum term of imprisonment for misdemeanors, or for offenses punishable by up to or not exceeding one year, to three hundred sixty-four days. Allows individuals previously sentenced to a one-year term of imprisonment to apply to the court for a sentence modification to conform to the new limit. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Establishes the offense of failure to report bribery by a state elected official as a misdemeanor. Requires a state elected official who knows of or witnesses the conferring, offering, solicitation, or acceptance of a pecuniary benefit in violation of the bribery statute to report the conduct to the Department of the Attorney General, a county prosecuting attorney, a law enforcement agency, the State Ethics Commission, or a county ethics board within sixty days. Defines "state elected official". Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
This House Concurrent Resolution urges Hawaii state and county officials to stop using "excited delirium" as a medical diagnosis, cause of death, or legal theory. The measure is based on findings that this concept lacks scientific validity, is not recognized by major medical organizations, and has no official diagnostic code. It specifically calls for medical determinations and legal proceedings to rely on scientifically valid principles instead. The resolution also directs copies to county mayors and council leaders and is named in memory of veteran Sheldon Haleck.
This bill requests the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and the Legislative Reference Bureau to create a working group focused on improving protections for survivors of image-based sexual abuse. The group will include representatives from law enforcement, legal offices, service providers, and survivors to review policies in other states and recommend changes to Hawaii law. The working group must submit a report with its findings and proposed legislation to the Legislature before the 2028 session begins and will be dissolved by the end of 2027.
This bill is a concurrent resolution that formally requests the Hawaii Department of Transportation and Department of Law Enforcement to work together to create a state highway police force. It aims to address rising traffic fatalities by supplementing county police efforts with a specialized state-level enforcement unit focused on highway safety. The resolution highlights the potential benefits of combining transportation infrastructure expertise with law enforcement authority to improve traffic management and response to incidents. It does not authorize funding or mandate the creation of the force, but rather serves as a formal recommendation to the relevant state agencies.
