Hawaii HCR6: Affirming and Supporting the Requirement That Hospitals Provide Life-saving Emergency Care to Pregnant People, Including Reproductive and Abortion Services, When Such Care is Medically Necessary to Stabilize a Patient Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.

What the bill says

From the introduced text:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HCRN ~D THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 STATE OF HAWAII a a a HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION AFFIRMING AND SUPPORTING THE REQUIREMENT THAT HOSPITALS PROVIDE LIFE-SAVING EMERGENCY CARE TO PREGNANT PEOPLE, INCLUDING REPRODUCTIVE AND ABORTION SERVICES, WHEN SUCH CARE IS MEDICALLY NECESSARY TO STABILIZE A PATIENT UNDER THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT AND ACTIVE LABOR ACT. WHEREAS, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), enacted in 1986, requires hospitals that receive Medicare funding to provide a medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment to any person with an emergency medical condition, regardless of their ability to pay; and WHEREAS, EMTALA has long been interpreted to require that when a person presents a life- or health-threatening condition to a hospital, such as hemorrhage, ectopic pregnancy, or preeclampsia, the hospital must provide abortion care if it is the necessary stabilizing treatment; and WHEREAS, shifts in federal policy and guidance in recent years, including the 2022 federal affirmation of EMTALA's requirement to provide emergency abortion care and the 2025 rescission of this guidance by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, have created national confusion about EMTALA's application, even though the statute itself remains fully in effect; and WHEREAS, the lack of consistent federal guidance has caused hospitals in some states to delay or deny stabilizing care for pregnant people, particularly in states …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Trish La Chica (D, 37) · primary sponsor
• Terez Amato (D, 11)
• Della Belatti (D, 26)
• Tina Grandinetti (D, 20)
• Hartsfield, Daisy (D, 36)
• Mark Hashem (D, 19)
• Linda Ichiyama (D, 31)
• Greggor Ilagan (D, 4)
• Kim Iwamoto (D, 25)
• Jeanne Kapela (D, 5)
• Susan Keohokapu-Lee Loy (D, 2)
• Matthias Kusch (D, 1)

Latest actions

1. April 10, 2026: Referred to HHS.
2. April 2, 2026: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 453).
3. April 1, 2026: Transmitted to Senate.
4. April 1, 2026: Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Shimizu voting no (7) and none excused (0).
5. April 1, 2026: Reported from HLT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1661-26), recommending adoption.
6. March 25, 2026: The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Amato, Hartsfield, Marten, Olds, Takenouchi; Ayes with reservations: none; 2 Noes: Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia; and Excused: none.
7. March 20, 2026: Resolution scheduled to be heard by HLT on Wednesday, 03-25-26 9:30AM in conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
8. March 10, 2026: Referred to HLT, referral sheet 15
9. January 26, 2026: Offered
10. January 23, 2026: To be offered.

Votes

• Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Shimizu voting no (7) and none excused (0) (April 1, 2026): 44 yea, 7 nay, passed
• HLT: recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (March 25, 2026): 7 yea, 2 nay, passed

Common questions

What is HCR6?

HCR6 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Affirming and Supporting the Requirement That Hospitals Provide Life-saving Emergency Care to Pregnant People, Including Reproductive and Abortion Services, When Such Care is Medically Necessary to Stabilize a Patient Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.

What is the status of HCR6?

In committee as of April 10, 2026. Latest action: Referred to HHS. (April 10, 2026).

Who sponsored HCR6?

Trish La Chica (D, 37), with 11 co-sponsors.

Where is the official record for HCR6?

On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HCR&billnumber=6&year=2026