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SB787 • 2026

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

Budget
Active

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

Sponsor
RHOADS
Last action
2026-02-11
Official status
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) 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 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

What This Bill Does

  • RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
  • DOH; Warm Line; Mental Health; Appropriation ($) Appropriates funds to the Department of Health to establish and operate a free statewide mental health warm line to provide mental health support in non-emergency situations.
  • Effective 12/31/2050.
  • (SD1)

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

1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: SB787 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.

  • SB787 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.
  • NO.
  • 787 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 S.D.
  • 1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH .

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-11 S

    Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.

  2. 2026-02-11 S

    Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2165) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

  3. 2026-01-28 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, McKelvey, Kanuha, Keohokalole, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

  4. 2026-01-23 S

    The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 01-28-26 1:30PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.

  5. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  6. 2025-01-23 S

    Referred to HHS, WAM.

  7. 2025-01-21 S

    Passed First Reading.

  8. 2025-01-17 S

    Introduced.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
DOH; Warm Line; Mental Health; Appropriation ($)
Appropriates funds to the Department of Health to establish and operate a free statewide mental health warm line to provide mental health support in non-emergency situations. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB787

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

787

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO the department of health
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
The
legislature finds that there is a need for a statewide "warm line" to
provide nonclinical mental health support over the telephone for non-emergency
situations.
�
A "warm line" is a
confidential, free phone service offering mental health support to individuals
who are experiencing psychological distress but are not actively in danger of
harming themselves or others.

����
A mental health warm line differs from a mental
health crisis line or hotline.
�
A crisis
line or hotline generally provides services to individuals who require
immediate assistance from a licensed professional, safety planning, or a
referral to a secondary agency or care provider.
�
A mental health warm line is intended for
callers who need someone to talk to but who are not actively in crisis and do
not need to go to the emergency room or call 911.
�
A warm line is typically staffed by
volunteers or paid peers who have personal experience with mental health
disorders.

����
The legislature also finds that the
department of health established a warm line that is separate from the Hawai
ʻ
i
CARES 988 crisis line to assist the Maui community following the 2023 Maui
wildfires, and that there exists a gap in the available mental health system in
the State that necessitates the establishment of a statewide warm line.
�

����
Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to
appropriate funds to the department of health to establish and operate a free statewide
mental health warm line.

����
SECTION 2.
�

There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii
the sum of $250,000 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 equipment, training, and operational expenses necessary
to establish and operate a mental health warm line that is available statewide
at no cost to users.

����
The sums

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

����
SECTION 3.
�

This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOH; Warm
Line; Mental Health; Appropriations

Description:

Appropriates
funds to the Department of Health to establish and operate a free statewide
mental health warm line to provide mental health support in non-emergency
situations.
�

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