SB298 • 2026

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.

Budget

Active

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

Sponsor: SAN BUENAVENTURA, AQUINO, CHANG, DECOITE, FEVELLA, FUKUNAGA, HASHIMOTO, KANUHA, MCKELVEY, MORIWAKI, RHOADS, RICHARDS
Last action: 2026-04-02
Official status: Received notice of the discharge of all House Conferees (Hse. Com. No. 457).
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 HUMAN SERVICES.

What This Bill Does

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
DHS; Medicaid; In-Home Services; Appropriation ($) Appropriates funds to be expended by the Department of Human Services to increase funding for Medicaid in-home services.
Effective 7/1/3000.
(HD1)

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.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: SB298 HD1 THE SENATE S.B.

SB298 HD1 THE SENATE S.B.
NO.
298 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 S.D.
1 STATE OF HAWAII H.D.

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: SB298 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.

SB298 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.
NO.
298 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 S.D.
1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES .

Bill History

2026-04-02 S
Received notice of the discharge of all House Conferees (Hse. Com. No. 457).
2026-04-01 H
House Conferee(s) discharged.
2026-03-20 H
Received notice of all Senate conferees being discharged (Sen. Com. No. 409).
2026-03-20 S
Senate Conferee(s) discharged.
2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-04-22 S
Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-23-25 3:30PM; Conference Room 329.
2025-04-15 H
Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 789).
2025-04-15 S
Senate Conferees Appointed: San Buenaventura Chair; Aquino Co-Chair; Hashimoto, Fevella.
2025-04-15 S
Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 731).
2025-04-14 H
House Conferees Appointed: Marten, Morikawa Co-Chairs; Kapela, Olds, Alcos.
2025-04-04 H
Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 590).
2025-04-04 S
Senate disagrees with House amendments.
2025-04-04 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 461).
2025-04-03 H
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Woodson excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2025-04-03 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1905), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2025-03-28 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hussey, Ward.
2025-03-27 H
Bill scheduled for decision making on Friday, 03-28-25 1:59PM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-03-27 H
The committee(s) on FIN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 03-28-25.
2025-03-24 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 03-27-25 3:30PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-03-18 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Ward excused (2).
2025-03-18 H
Reported from HSH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1339) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2025-03-13 H
The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Chun, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Alcos, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
2025-03-07 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by HSH on Thursday, 03-13-25 10:00AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-03-06 H
Referred to HSH, FIN, referral sheet 19
2025-03-06 H
Pass First Reading
2025-03-04 H
Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 124) in amended form (SD 1).
2025-03-04 S
Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.
2025-02-28 S
One Day Notice 03-04-25.
2025-02-28 S
Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 938) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
2025-02-27 S
The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, Aquino, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2025-02-21 S
The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-27-25 10:30AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
2025-02-14 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
2025-02-14 S
Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 565) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2025-02-12 S
The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Aquino, Hashimoto, Keohokalole, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2025-02-10 S
The committee(s) on HHS deferred the measure until 02-12-25 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2025-02-04 S
The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 02-10-25 1:20PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2025-01-21 S
Referred to HHS, WAM.
2025-01-15 S
Introduced and passed First Reading.
2025-01-14 S
Pending Introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES.
DHS; Medicaid; In-Home Services; Appropriation ($)
Appropriates funds to be expended by the Department of Human Services to increase funding for Medicaid in-home services. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB298

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

298

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

Relating
to human services
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
The
legislature finds that most of the State's kupuna would prefer to live in their
own homes for as long as possible.
�

In-home services are key to ensuring kupuna and people with disabilities
stay in their own homes.
�
These services
include helping with activities of daily living such as meal preparation,
cleaning, bathing, mobility support, and other forms of personal care.
�
In a 2021 quantitative research study among
Hawaii residents forty-five years of age and older, sixty‑five per cent
were extremely or very concerned about being able to age in place, and
eighty-three per cent of those surveyed said it was extremely or very important
to them to stay in their homes as they get older.
�
Helping individuals remain in their own homes
instead of in institutional nursing facilities is also far less costly.

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The legislature further finds that
reimbursement rates that do not have medicare rates for equivalent services,
such as in‑home care services, are reviewed and determined by the
department of human services at least every five years.
�
The last review of home and community‑based
reimbursement rates for residential services by the department of human
services' med‑QUEST division was conducted through a third-party study by
the actuarial firm Milliman, and reported on December 30, 2022.
�
The study developed benchmark comparison
rates for in‑home services, including "homemaker/companion/chore
(PA1)," "personal care/personal assistance/attendant care
(PA2)," and private duty nursing by a registered nurse or a licensed
practical nurse.

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The rate studies found tremendous wage
pressure for direct care workers in home settings, given the highly competitive
labor market in the State for similar-paying jobs.
�
For all in‑home provider types included
in the study, current median direct care wages paid by the operators fell below
the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics twenty‑fifth
percentile for those occupation codes and titles, except for licensed practical
nurses, who fell just below the fiftieth percentile.

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Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to make
an appropriation to increase funding of medicaid in-home services.
�
The corresponding federal matching funds will
also increase, resulting in a larger impact on reimbursements received by
service providers.

����
SECTION 2.
�

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 to increase funding for medicaid
in-home services; provided that the department of human services shall obtain
the maximum federal matching funds available for this expenditure; provided
further that the department of human services shall pursue all funding sources
known to the State, including private grants, prior to expending any general
revenues appropriated pursuant to this Act.

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The sums appropriated shall be expended by
the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.

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SECTION 3.
�

This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DHS;
Medicaid; In-Home Services; Appropriation; Expenditure Ceiling

Description:

Appropriates
funds to increase funding for Medicaid in-home services, conditioned on the
Department of Human Services obtaining maximum federal matching funds and
pursuing all other funding sources.

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