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HB1855 • 2026

RELATING TO HEALTH.

RELATING TO HEALTH.

Budget Firearms Healthcare
Active

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

Sponsor
TAKAYAMA, AMATO, BELATTI, ILAGAN, IWAMOTO, KAPELA, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, KILA, MATSUMOTO, OLDS, PERRUSO, POEPOE, REYES ODA, SOUZA, TAKENOUCHI, TAM, TARNAS, TODD
Last action
2026-02-11
Official status
The committee(s) on HLT recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact amount of funding appropriated, only that it is to cover one principal investigator and manager position and one data abstractor position.

Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System

This bill establishes a system to collect information about violent deaths in Hawaii, funded by the federal government.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a new program called the Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System.
  • The system will gather data on all types of violent deaths as defined by the CDC.
  • It requires medical examiners and doctors to share information about violent deaths with the reporting team.
  • Appropriates funds for two full-time positions.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Medical examiners and doctors who must provide information on violent deaths.
  • State agencies that will manage the program.
  • The public, as statistical summaries of the data will be made available.

Terms To Know

Violent death
A death by suicide or homicide, undetermined intent death, accidental firearm death, or legal intervention death.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The federal agency that oversees the National Violent Death Reporting System.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is not clear if the bill will pass or what changes might be made.
  • The exact amount of funding has not been specified in the summary text.
  • Details about how the data will be used beyond this system are not provided.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-11 H

    The committee(s) on HLT recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.

  2. 2026-02-06 H

    Bill scheduled to be heard by HLT on Wednesday, 02-11-26 9:00AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.

  3. 2026-01-26 H

    Referred to HLT, FIN, referral sheet 2

  4. 2026-01-26 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  5. 2026-01-23 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO HEALTH.
Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System; Appropriation ($)
Establishes a framework for the creation of the Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System, to be federally funded, for the purposes of collecting information and data on violent deaths in the State. Appropriates funds.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB1855

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1855

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to health
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
The Hawaii Revised Statutes is
amended by adding a new chapter to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

"
Chapter

Violent death reporting

����
�
-1
�
Definitions.
�
As used in this part, unless the context
requires otherwise:

����
"Hawaii
violent death reporting system" means a federally funded program by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a program that is a part of
the National Violent Death Reporting System that the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention oversees and manages.

����
"Violent
death" means a death by suicide or homicide, undetermined intent death,
accidental firearm death, or legal intervention death, as defined by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.

����
�
-2
�
Hawaii violent death reporting system;
duties; structure.
�
(a)
�
The Hawaii violent death reporting system
shall collect information and data on all violent deaths that occur within the
State regardless of the victim's residency or nationality, as defined and
required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

����
(b)
�
The Hawaii violent death reporting system
program shall be operated and managed by a state agency or institution that
submits an application and is awarded a grant by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention to operate and manage the program.

����
(c)
�
The Hawaii violent death reporting system
team shall be staffed with a minimum of two full-time equivalent positions, one
of which shall be the principal investigator and manager, and the other shall
be a data abstractor.

����
�
-3
�
Access to information.
�
(a)
�
Upon
request of the Hawaii violent death reporting system team, all medical
examiners, physicians acting under the direction of coroners, state agencies,
and county agencies shall disclose to the Hawaii violent death reporting system
team all information and records regarding the circumstances of violent deaths
for the purposes of the team abstracting information and data from records.

����
(b)
�
The Hawaii violent death reporting system
team may enter into memoranda of understanding with the relevant state agencies
and branches of government and county agencies to obtain information and
reports relating to violent deaths.

����
(c)
�
To the extent that this section conflicts
with other state confidentiality laws, the provisions of this section shall prevail
and be interpreted in favor of greater disclosure of violent deaths.

����
(d)
�
To the extent possible and as required by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the data abstraction conducted
pursuant to this section shall commence no later than six months following the
violent deaths.

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�
-4
�
Exception.
�
Information regarding an ongoing civil or
criminal investigation shall be disclosed at the discretion of the applicable
state or county law enforcement agency.

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�
-5
�
Use of Hawaii violent death reporting system
information and records.
�
(a)
�
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter,
all information and records acquired by the Hawaii violent death reporting
system team during its violent deaths data abstraction pursuant to this chapter
are confidential and shall only be disclosed as necessary to carry out the
purposes of this chapter.

����
(b)
Information from the Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System, along with
statistical summaries that exclude any previously undisclosed details that
could identify an individual, shall be considered public records."

SECTION 2.
�
There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for one full-time
equivalent (1.0 FTE) principal investigator and manager position and one
full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) data abstractor position.

����
The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the state agency or institution that submits
an application and is awarded the grant by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION
3.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1,
2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Hawaii
Violent Death Reporting System; Appropriation

Description:

Establishes
a framework for the creation of the Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System, to
be federally funded, for the purposes of collecting information and data on
violent deaths in the State.
�

Appropriates funds.

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