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HB1993 • 2026

RELATING TO DEAF INDIVIDUALS.

RELATING TO DEAF INDIVIDUALS.

Active

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

Sponsor
TAKENOUCHI, AMATO, GARCIA, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, MARTEN, OLDS, TAKAYAMA, Alcos
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
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 none excused (0).
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effective date is set for July 1, 3000, which seems to be a placeholder and likely will be changed in future versions of the bill.

Rules for Deaf Motor Vehicle Owners

This bill allows deaf individuals to register their vehicles with a special designation that appears when law enforcement officers check the vehicle's information.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows deaf motor vehicle owners to add a special designation on their car registration.
  • Requires this designation to appear when a police officer checks the car’s information during a traffic stop.
  • Limits who can see the deafness designation to law enforcement officers and as required by other laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Deaf motor vehicle owners
  • Law enforcement officers

Terms To Know

deafness designation
A special label on a car registration that shows the owner is deaf.
otolaryngologist
A doctor who specializes in ear, nose, and throat problems.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what the international symbol for deafness looks like or what numerical code should be used.
  • It is not clear how many people will choose to use this option.

Amendments

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

HD1

1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment allows deaf motor vehicle owners to register their vehicles with a special designation that alerts law enforcement officers during routine checks.

  • Adds a new section in Chapter 286, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requiring the director of finance to add a deafness symbol or code to the registration of a motor vehicle owned by a deaf person upon request.
  • Specifies that certification of deafness must come from a qualified otolaryngologist or audiologist.
  • Ensures that the deafness designation is visible when law enforcement officers check the vehicle's information, but restricts access to this information otherwise.
  • The amendment specifies an effective date of July 1, 3000, which seems unusual and may be a placeholder or error.
  • It does not provide details on how law enforcement officers will be trained to interact with deaf drivers.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 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 none excused (0).

  2. 2026-02-18 H

    Reported from TRN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 436-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

  3. 2026-02-12 H

    The committee on TRN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Kila, Miyake, Cochran, Evslin, Kitagawa, La Chica, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Grandinetti.

  4. 2026-02-10 H

    Bill scheduled to be heard by TRN on Thursday, 02-12-26 8:30AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.

  5. 2026-01-28 H

    Referred to TRN, JHA, referral sheet 3

  6. 2026-01-26 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  7. 2026-01-23 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO DEAF INDIVIDUALS.
Deaf; Hearing Impaired; Disability; Motor Vehicle Registration; Law Enforcement
Authorizes deaf motor vehicle owners to register their vehicle as being owned by a deaf individual so that a deafness designation appears when a law enforcement officer accesses the motor vehicle's information. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB1993

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1993

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to deaf individuals
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
The legislature finds that the dangers
associated with a routine traffic stop can increase if a law enforcement
officer is not aware that the driver is deaf.
�

A deaf driver's failure to respond to verbal commands or an officer's
misinterpretation of a deaf individual's gestures can lead to undesired
outcomes.

����
Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to prevent miscommunication between deaf drivers and
law enforcement officers by providing law enforcement officers with a
notification that a driver is deaf when the officer conducts an electronic
check of the motor vehicle's registration.

����
SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 286, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new section to part III to be appropriately designated
and to read as follows:

����
"
�286-
��
�
�
Deaf owner; registration.
�
(a)
�
Upon application by a motor
vehicle owner who is deaf, the director of finance of the county where the
vehicle is to be operated shall add a designation to the registration of the
motor vehicle bearing the international symbol for deafness or a numerical code
designating deafness.

����
(b)
�
The deafness designation shall
appear when a law enforcement officer accesses the motor vehicle's information
and shall be used to alert the law enforcement officer that the owner of the
motor vehicle is deaf.

����
(c)
�
Except as provided by
subsection (b), the director of finance of the county where the vehicle is to
be operated shall restrict access to the vehicle owner's deafness designation, as
required by law.

����
(d)
�

For purpose of
this section, "deaf" means a
person whose average loss in the
speech frequencies (500-2000 Hertz) in the better ear is eighty-two decibels,
A.S.A., or worse.
�
The impairment of
deafness shall be:

����
(1)
�
Certified by a qualified
otolaryngologist or an audiologist licensed under chapter 468E; or

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(2)
�
Demonstrated by presenting a copy of
the individual's most recent filed income tax forms as referenced in the
definition of the term "deaf" under section 235‑1.
"

����
SECTION
3.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION
4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Deaf; Hearing
Impaired; Disability; Motor Vehicle Registration; Law Enforcement

Description:

Authorizes
deaf motor vehicle owners to register their vehicle as being owned by a deaf
individual so that a deafness designation appears when a law enforcement
officer accesses the motor vehicle's information.

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