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SB2701 • 2026

RELATING TO THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

RELATING TO THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

Budget
Active

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

Sponsor
KANUHA, RICHARDS, San Buenaventura, Wakai
Last action
2026-02-11
Official status
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading and referred to 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 THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

RELATING TO THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

What This Bill Does

  • RELATING TO THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
  • West Hawaii Regional Health Care System; North Kona; Outpatient Care Center; Appropriation ($) Appropriates funds for the planning, design, site work, and construction of a new outpatient care center in North Kona.

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.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-11 S

    Report adopted; Passed Second Reading and referred to WAM.

  2. 2026-02-11 S

    Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2193) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading and referral to WAM.

  3. 2026-02-02 S

    The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in HHS were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, McKelvey, Kanuha, Keohokalole, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

  4. 2026-01-30 S

    The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 02-02-26 1:05PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.

  5. 2026-01-28 S

    Referred to HHS, WAM.

  6. 2026-01-26 S

    Passed First Reading.

  7. 2026-01-23 S

    Introduced.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE WEST HAWAII REGIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
West Hawaii Regional Health Care System; North Kona; Outpatient Care Center; Appropriation ($)
Appropriates funds for the planning, design, site work, and construction of a new outpatient care center in North Kona.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB2701

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2701

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to the west hawaii regional health care system.

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

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SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that the West
Hawaii community is in need of a new hospital in North Kona.
�
The legislature further finds that, pursuant
to a needs assessment that was completed in 2024, "a growing community
such as the one in [the North Kona region] can support a thriving hospital,
expanded services, and integrated medical group" and that establishing a
new hospital would provide more convenient access to critical services and
shorten travel times, resulting in improved health outcomes for the region.

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The
legislature additionally finds that a new hospital in North Kona will help with
recruiting physicians to the island of Hawaii, which will help address the
island's ongoing struggles with physician shortages.
�
The new hospital will also create new jobs
and opportunities for the growing West Hawaii region.

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The
legislature also finds that The Queen's Health Systems and the West Hawaii
region of the Hawaii health systems corporation recently signed a memorandum of
understanding to develop an outpatient care center in Kona, which will include
office space and clinical services.
�
Once
this outpatient care center is completed, with state funding, The Queen's
Health Systems has committed to building a new adjacent hospital.

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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for the plans, design, and
construction of a new outpatient care center in North Kona.

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $50,000,000 or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the planning, design,
site work, and construction of a new outpatient care center in North Kona.

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The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii health systems corporation for the
purposes of this Act.

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

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

West Hawaii
Regional Health Care System; North Kona; Outpatient Care Center; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates
funds for
the planning, design, site work, and construction of a new
outpatient care center in North Kona.

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