Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii HB1516: Relating to Pretrial Release.
Status: In committee, May 6, 2026
Requires certain factors to be considered when determining a defendant's financial ability to afford bail.
What the bill says
A bill for an act relating to pretrial release.
From the enrolled text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRETRIAL RELEASE. SECTION 1. Section 804-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows: "~804-9 Amount. The amount of bail rests in the discretion of the justice or judge or the officers named in section 804-5 and shall be set in a reasonable amount based upon all available information, including the offense alleged, the possible punishment upon conviction, and the defendant's financial ability to afford bail. The defendant's financial ability to afford bail shall be subject to the following considerations to the extent known: (1) Any income derived from public benefits, including supplemental security income, social security disability insurance, and temporary assistance for needy families, shall be excluded from consideration; and 2026--3261 HB1516 CD1 HMSO NcJ. ~ H.B. Page2 C.D. (2) If the defendant's household income, exclusive of any income derived from public benefits, exceeds one hundred fifty per cent of the federal poverty level for Hawaii, as determined by the most recently published annual federal poverty guidelines, the amount the defendant could reasonably pay within forty hours of the defendant's initial appearance shall be considered. The bail amount should be so determined as not to suffer the wealthy to escape by the payment of a pecuniary penalty, nor to render the privilege useless to the poor." SECTION 2. This Act does …
Sponsors
- David Tarnas (D, 8) · primary sponsor
- Terez Amato (D, 11)
- Tina Grandinetti (D, 20)
- Greggor Ilagan (D, 4)
- Kim Iwamoto (D, 25)
- Matthias Kusch (D, 1)
- Michael Lee (D, 50)
- Lisa Marten (D, 51)
- Amy Perruso (D, 46)
- Mahina Poepoe (D, 13)
- Garner Shimizu (R, 32)
- Kanani Souza (R, 43)
Latest actions
- : Recommitted to Conference committee as amended in CD 1 with none voting no and Representative(s) La Chica excused.
- : Failed to pass Final Reading. Ayes, 11; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 13 (Senator(s) Awa, DeCoite, DeCorte, Dela Cruz, Elefante, Fevella, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kidani, Kim, Lamosao, McKelvey, Moriwaki). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga).
- : Deferred one day 05-06-26.
- : 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-01-26
- : Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 20-26).
- : Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26.
- : Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 20-26) as amended in (CD 1).
- : The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 3 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Belatti, Poepoe; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia; and 0 Excused: none.
- : The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, San Buenaventura, Chang; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
- : Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-23-26 2:35PM; Conference Room 325.
Votes
- Recommitted to Conference committee as amended in CD 1 with none voting no and Representative(s) La Chica excused (May 6, 2026): 50 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Failed to pass Final Reading (May 1, 2026): 11 yea, 13 nay, failed
- none. (April 23, 2026): 3 yea, 1 nay, passed
- Conference Committee Vote (April 23, 2026): 3 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 1) (April 14, 2026): 22 yea, 3 nay, passed
- JDC: recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (March 17, 2026): 4 yea, 1 nay, passed
Subjects: Report, Pretrial Release, Penalties, Insurance
Common questions
- What is HB1516?
- HB1516 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Relating to Pretrial Release.
- What does HB1516 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act relating to pretrial release.
- What is the status of HB1516?
- In committee as of May 6, 2026. Latest action: Recommitted to Conference committee as amended in CD 1 with none voting no and Representative(s) La Chica excused. (May 6, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB1516?
- David Tarnas (D, 8), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB1516?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1516&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.