SB2116 • 2026

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.

Budget Labor

Active

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

Sponsor: ELEFANTE, CHANG, FEVELLA, FUKUNAGA, MORIWAKI, RICHARDS, SAN BUENAVENTURA, Hashimoto, Ihara
Last action: 2026-02-25
Official status: Re-Referred to LBT, JDC/WAM.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.

What This Bill Does

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
AG; State and County; Departments, Boards, Commissions, Agencies; Public Employees; Confidential Complaint Process; Reports; Rules; Appropriation ($) 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.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: SB2116 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.

SB2116 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.
NO.
2116 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 S.D.
1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES .

Bill History

2026-02-25 S
Re-Referred to LBT, JDC/WAM.
2026-02-24 S
The committee on JDC deferred the measure.
2026-02-13 S
The committee(s) on JDC will hold a public decision making on 02-24-26 10:00AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.
2026-02-06 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC.
2026-02-06 S
Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2114) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.
2026-02-03 S
Re-Referred to LBT, JDC.
2026-01-28 S
The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Lamosao, Ihara, Moriwaki, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2026-01-23 S
The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 01-28-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2026-01-22 S
Referred to LBT, JDC/WAM.
2026-01-21 S
Introduced and passed First Reading.
2026-01-14 S
Pending Introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES.
AG; State and County; Departments, Boards, Commissions, Agencies; Public Employees; Confidential Complaint Process; Reports; Rules; Appropriation ($)
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. Authorizes the Attorney General to adopt rules. Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB2116

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2116

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.