Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii SB2090: Relating to Child Custody.
Status: Passed one chamber, April 28, 2026
Allows licensed mental health counselors to be appointed as child custody evaluators.
What the bill says
A bill for an act relating to child custody.
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD CUSTODY. SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the State faces significant challenges in providing timely and equitable child custody evaluations for families engaged in family court proceedings. Existing law authorizes certain mental health professionals with master's degree--level training to serve as child custody evaluators but does not extend this opportunity to licensed mental health counselors. Licensed mental health counselors possess equivalent graduate-level education, training, and clinical expertise as their peers who are already eligible to serve as child custody evaluators. The legislature further finds that there is a high demand for child custody evaluations across the State, resulting in backlogs and extended wait times that delay critical decisions impacting children's health, safety, and well-being. The State's limited pooi of qualified child custody evaluators exacerbates these delays, as courts frequently struggle to 2026--2581 SB2090 HD1 HMSO SB. NO. ~ Page2 secure professionals who are available to take on new cases promptly. The legislature recognizes that child custody evaluations are highly complex and require specialized mental health training, clinical experience, and the ability to conduct thorough investigations and provide accurate, unbiased reports to the court. Licensed mental health counselors meet these professional standards and are well-equipped to provide these evaluations. The legislature additionally finds that the State faces a severe shortage of mental health …
Sponsors
- Dru Kanuha (D, 3) · primary sponsor
- Troy Hashimoto (D, 5)
- Michelle Kidani (D, 18)
- Lamosao, Rachele (D, 19)
- Tim Richards (D, SD-004)
- Joy San Buenaventura (D, 2)
- Stanley Chang (D, 9)
Latest actions
- : Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 787).
- : Senate Conferees Appointed: San Buenaventura Chair; Rhoads Co-Chair; McKelvey.
- : Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 564).
- : Senate disagrees with House amendments.
- : Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 484).
- : Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.
- : Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1820-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
- : The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Kahaloa, Takayama, Cochran, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem, Sayama.
- : Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Wednesday, 04-01-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- : Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Garrett, Quinlan excused (2).
Votes
- Third Reading with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1) (April 8, 2026): 50 yea, 0 nay, passed
- JHA: recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (April 1, 2026): 8 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Garrett, Quinlan e (March 24, 2026): 49 yea, 0 nay, passed
- HSH: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (March 19, 2026): 9 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Report adopted; Passed Third Reading (March 10, 2026): 25 yea, 0 nay, passed
- JDC: recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (February 27, 2026): 3 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Report, Child Custody
Common questions
- What is SB2090?
- SB2090 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Relating to Child Custody.
- What does SB2090 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act relating to child custody.
- What is the status of SB2090?
- Passed one chamber as of April 28, 2026. Latest action: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 787). (April 28, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB2090?
- Dru Kanuha (D, 3), with 6 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB2090?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2090&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.