RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.

Labor

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: SAYAMA, HOLT, ILAGAN, KILA, KITAGAWA, LEE, M., LOWEN, MARTEN, OLDS
Last action: 2026-03-03
Official status: The committee(s) on JHA recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide information about penalties or enforcement mechanisms.

Confidential Complaints Against Public Employees

This bill requires the Attorney General to create a confidential process for people to anonymously file complaints against public employees, with reports sent to relevant departments and the Legislature.

What This Bill Does

Creates a system where individuals can report issues about public employees without revealing their identity.
Requires the Attorney General to review these anonymous complaints and forward them to the appropriate department or agency for investigation.
Instructs departments, boards, commissions, and agencies to process these complaints according to standard procedures and inform the Attorney General of the results.
Necessitates that the Attorney General sends annual reports about this process to the Legislature.

Who It Names or Affects

Public employees who may receive anonymous complaints.
The public, as they can use this system to report issues anonymously.
Departments, boards, commissions, and agencies responsible for investigating these complaints.

Terms To Know

Attorney General: A government official who is the chief lawyer of a state or country.
Department: An administrative unit within a larger organization, such as a government agency responsible for specific functions.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if the Attorney General determines that there is an imminent danger or threat.
It's unclear how this process will be implemented and enforced in practice.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment requires the Attorney General to create a confidential process for people to file anonymous complaints against public employees, with annual reports to the legislature.

The Attorney General must establish a system allowing individuals to submit anonymous complaints about public employees.
Departments receiving these complaints will handle them according to standard procedures and report back to the Attorney General.
Annual reports on complaint handling are required to be submitted to the Legislature.

The amendment specifies an effective date of July 1, 3000, which seems unusual and may indicate a placeholder or error.

Bill History

2026-03-03 H
The committee(s) on JHA recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
2026-02-27 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Tuesday, 03-03-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-17 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Lee, M., Poepoe excused (3).
2026-02-17 H
Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 283-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
2026-02-10 H
The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
2026-02-05 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 02-10-26 9:30AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-26 H
Referred to LAB, JHA, referral sheet 1
2026-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-20 H
Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
AG; Public Employees; Confidential Complaint Process; Reports
Requires the Attorney General to establish a confidential process for persons to anonymously file complaints against public employees. Requires the Attorney General to review and forward the complaints to the department, board, commission, or agency deemed appropriate by the Attorney General. Requires the departments, boards, commissions, and agencies to process the complaint pursuant to their standard complaint‑processing procedures and report the disposition to the Attorney General. Requires reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1654

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1654

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

Relating
to Public Employees
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION 1.
�
Chapter 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

����
"
�78-
�
Confidential complaints against public
employees
; attorney
general; annual reports; rules.
�

(a)
�
Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the
attorney general shall establish a confidential process for
persons
who wish to anonymously file a complaint against
any
public
employee
.

����
(b)
�
A
complaint shall be deemed properly filed if the complainant provides the
attorney general with:

����
(1)
�
The
complainant's
full legal name and contact information
;
and

����
(2)
�
Any
other information deemed necessary by the attorney general.

����
(
c
)
�
Except as provided in subsection (f), t
he attorney general shall
review and
forward a
ll properly filed
complaint
s
to
the
d
epartment that the attorney general deems
appropriate; provided that the attorney general shall redact any information
that is likely to lead to the identification of the
complainant
from the
complaint.
�
The attorney general shall
act as an intermediary in any necessary communication between the department
and complainant to protect the complainant's anonymity.

����
(d)
�
Upon receipt of a complaint
pursuant to subsection (c), the department shall:

����
(1)
�
Process
the complaint pursuant to the department's standard complaint-processing
procedures; and

����
(2)
�
Submit
a report to the attorney general describing the disposition of the complaint,
including the findings of any investigation conducted and any disciplinary,
remedial, or other action taken.

����
(
e
)
�
Each
public
employer
and
department
shall inform
its employees and
the public
o
f
the confidential complaint process established pursuant to
this
section
.

����
(
f
)
�
If the attorney general determines that any
conduct or situation described in a complaint it receives pursuant to this
section poses
an imminent
danger or
threat to
the
health or safety of
an
y
individual
or

workplace or the public
, the attorney general shall immediately notify
the department or other state or county agency, as deemed appropriate by the
attorney general.

����
(
g
)
�
The attorney general shall submit a report
on
the
confidential
complaint
process
established pursuant
to this section
to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to
the convening of each regular session.
�

The report shall include:

����
(1)
�
The number of complaints
the
attorney general
received in the preceding year; and

����
(2)
�
The
departments'

disposition of the
complaints
.

����
(h)
�
The
attorney general shall adopt rules in accordance with chapter 91 necessary to
implement this section.

����
(
i
)
�
For the purposes of this section, "department"
has the same meaning as defined in section 76‑11.
"

����
SECTION
2.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION
3.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

AG; State

and County; Departments, Boards, Commissions, Agencies;
Public Employees; Confidential
Complaint
Process
; Reports
; Rules

Description:

Requires
the
A
ttorney

G
eneral
to
establish a confidential process for
persons
to
anonymously
file
complaint
s
against public employee
s
.
�

Requires the Attorney General to review and forward the complaints to
the department, board, commission, or agency deemed appropriate by the Attorney
General.
�
Requires the departments,
boards, commissions, and agencies to process the complaint pursuant to their
standard complaint‑processing procedures and report the disposition to
the Attorney General.
�
Requires the Attorney
General to adopt rules and submit annual reports to the Legislature.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.