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HB219 • 2026

RELATING TO PAID FAMILY LEAVE.

RELATING TO PAID FAMILY LEAVE.

Children Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
SAYAMA, LEE, M.
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included details about the purpose of the bill that were not directly stated in the official summary or bill text.

Paid Family Leave for State and County Employees

This bill provides state and county employees in Hawaii with five days of paid family leave each year.

What This Bill Does

  • Provides state and county workers with five days of paid time off every calendar year to care for a new child or a sick family member.
  • Ensures that the paid leave does not reduce an employee's vacation, sick leave, seniority, or pay.

Who It Names or Affects

  • State and county employees in Hawaii

Terms To Know

Eligible employee
An employee who has been working for the state or a county for at least six consecutive months.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill only applies to state and county employees, not private sector workers.
  • It does not specify what happens if an employee uses all their paid family leave before the end of the year.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-01-21 H

    Referred to LAB, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 1

  3. 2025-01-17 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  4. 2025-01-16 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO PAID FAMILY LEAVE.
Paid Family Leave; State and County Employees
Provides state and county employees with five days of paid family leave each calendar year.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB219

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

219

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to Paid Family Leave
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
The legislature finds that Hawaii's state and
county employees are not adequately supported during times of birth, adoption,
fostering a new child, or caregiving for a family member during illness.

����
The
legislature further finds that providing paid family leave to state and county
employees could enhance recruitment and retention of quality employees, and
fulfill the government's role as a model employer.
�
Research has shown that paid family leave
reduces employment turnover, saving the cost of recruitment, hiring, and
training, as well as increases the productivity of the workforce and employee
morale.
�
Support by the employer for
family care is often cited as a main attractor for young, highly educated
workers when seeking employment, and must be seen as an investment in the
state's and counties' success.

����
The
purpose of this Act is to establish paid family leave for all state and county
employees that they can access when those employees need to provide care for a
family member.

����
SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read
as follows:

����
"
�78-
�
Paid family leave.
�
(a)
�
Notwithstanding chapter 398, eligible
employees shall be entitled to five days of paid leave each calendar year for
family leave as described under section 398-3(a), which shall not be credited
against an eligible employee's available accrued vacation or sick leave
benefits.

����
(b)
�
Paid leave under this section shall be paid
at the eligible employee's regular rate of pay without loss of seniority, pay,
vacation, sick leave, or earned accumulations.

����
(c)
�
As used in this section, "eligible
employee" means an employee who performs services for hire for not fewer
than six consecutive months for the state or county from whom benefits are
sought under this section.
"

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

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Paid
Family Leave; State and County Employees

Description:

Provides
state and county employees with five days of paid family leave each calendar
year.

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