HB610 • 2026

RELATING TO COLD CASE INVESTIGATIONS.

Budget Crime

Active

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

Sponsor: SOUZA, AMATO, COCHRAN, IWAMOTO, PERRUSO, POEPOE
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the number of employees, their roles, or the total budget amount for the Cold Case Investigation Unit.

Creating a Cold Case Investigation Unit

This bill establishes a new unit within the Department of the Attorney General to help solve old, unsolved cases in Hawaii.

What This Bill Does

Establishes a Cold Case Investigation Unit inside the Department of the Attorney General.
Appropriates funds for this new unit from the state budget for two fiscal years starting in 2025-2026.

Who It Names or Affects

People who work for the Department of the Attorney General and will be part of this new unit.
Police agencies that need help solving old, unsolved crimes.
Victims' families whose cases are being investigated by the Cold Case Investigation Unit.

Terms To Know

Cold case: A crime or missing person case that has not been solved for a long time.
Indigenous peoples: Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and other groups who lived in Hawaii before European settlers arrived.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the number of employees or their exact roles within the new unit.
It is unclear how many cases the unit will solve or which specific cases it will prioritize beyond those involving Indigenous victims.
Funding for the unit is only provided for two fiscal years, leaving uncertainty about its future after that period.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment establishes a Cold Case Investigation Unit within the Department of the Attorney General to assist in solving unsolved cases, including homicides and missing persons, and allocates funds for its operation.

Creates a new part in Chapter 28 of Hawaii Revised Statutes to establish a Cold Case Investigation Unit within the Department of the Attorney General.
Employs attorneys, investigators, and other necessary personnel to assist federal, state, county, and tribal law enforcement agencies in investigating unsolved cases related to Hawaii.
Appropriates funds from general revenues for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to establish and operate the Cold Case Investigation Unit.

The effective date of July 1, 3000, is likely a placeholder or error in the text.
Details on specific funding amounts are not provided.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-02-14 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).
2025-02-14 H
Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 725) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2025-02-07 H
The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Hashem, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Belatti, Cochran.
2025-02-04 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Friday, 02-07-25 2:05PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 2
2025-01-21 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-17 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO COLD CASE INVESTIGATIONS.
AG; Cold Case; Appropriation ($)
Establishes and appropriates funds for a Cold Case Investigation Unit within the Department of the Attorney General. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB610

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

610

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to cold case investigations.

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

����
SECTION 1.

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The legislature finds that Hawaii has
hundreds of unsolved murders, including some cases more than forty years old.
�
According to the nonprofit organization
Project:
�
Cold Case, the State reported 2,182
homicides between 1965 and 2023, and 728 of those cases remain unsolved.
�
Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and other
Indigenous persons are disproportionately represented among homicide victims
and missing persons cases, including unsolved "cold cases."
�
Nationally, the United States Department of
Justice estimates that there are more than four thousand two hundred unsolved cases
of missing and murdered Indigenous persons.

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The
legislature recognizes that, while each county in the State has a cold case
unit, additional resources and personnel may be needed to assist with the investigation
of decades-old crimes.
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The legislature
also recognizes the value in coordinating efforts and sharing information among
federal, state, tribal, and other agencies.

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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to establish a cold case investigation unit within
the department of the attorney general to assist federal, state, county, and tribal
law enforcement, and other cold case units, in investigating unsolved homicide,
missing person, and other cases that have a nexus to the State.

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SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 28, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

"
Part
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.
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COLD CASE INVESTIGATION UNIT

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�28-
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Cold case
investigation unit.
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(a)
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There
is established in the department
of the attorney general a cold case investigation unit.

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(b)
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The unit shall employ attorneys,
investigators, and other personnel as necessary to promote the effective and
efficient conduct of the unit's activities.
�

Except for the attorneys, all other employees of the unit shall be
subject to chapter 76.

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(c)
�
The purpose of the cold case investigation
unit shall be to assist federal, state, county, and tribal law enforcement agencies,
and cold case units within the office of a prosecutor, including law
enforcement agencies and cold case units in other states, in investigating
unsolved cases where the crime took place in this State or where the victim was
a resident of this State.

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(d)
�
Cases investigated by the cold case unit may
include unsolved homicides, sexual offenses, sexually motivated offenses,
missing persons, and cases of unidentified remains; provided that the unit
shall prioritize the investigation of cases having a Native Hawaiian, Pacific
Islander, Native American, Native Alaskan, or other indigenous victim.

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(e)
�
The cold case investigation unit may accept
investigation requests and may proactively offer assistance to a law
enforcement agency or cold case unit; provided that the unit shall not assist
with an active criminal investigation."

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SECTION
3.
�
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 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be
necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the establishment and operation of a
cold case investigation unit within the department of the attorney general.

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The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the
department of the attorney general for the purposes of this Act.

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

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

AG; Cold
Case; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples; Appropriation

Description:

Establishes
and appropriates money for a Cold Case Investigation Unit within the Department
of the Attorney General.
�
Prioritizes
unsolved cases involving an Indigenous victim.

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