Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii SB2261: Relating to Health.
Status: Passed one chamber, April 21, 2026
Requires Huli Au Ola to conduct a study on physician and dentist recruitment and retention to serve the island of Molokai. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2026.
What the bill says
A bill for an act relating to health.
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH. SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hull Au Ola, Maui county area health education center, provides support and assistance to underserved and rural areas of Maui county. The island of Molokai is the area most underserved by non-primary care physicians and dentists. The retention of physicians and dentists is critical to the Molokai community of approximately seven thousand residents. With only one airline serving the island of Molokai, the lack of medical professionals on Molokai is critical. Many Molokai residents cannot afford to travel to seek medical and dental care. Although telehealth is available for most community members, more serious conditions require an in-person visit with a medical professional. The purpose of this Act is to require Huli Au Ola to conduct a study on the recruitment and retention of physicians and dentists to be located on and serve the island of Molokai. 2026-1316 SB2261 SD1 SMA.docx iiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiHoiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Page 2 S.B. NO. 2261 S.D. SECTION 2. (a) Huli Au Ola shall conduct a study on the recruitment and retention of physicians and dentists to serve the island of Molokai. (b) The study shall include information related (2) Retention; (3) Housing availability; (4) Transportation availability; (5) Airline availability; (6) Partnerships; (7) Communication; and (8) Evaluation process. SECTION 3. Huli Au Ola shall submit …
Sponsors
- Lynn DeCoite (D, 7) · primary sponsor
- Michelle Kidani (D, 18)
- Dru Kanuha (D, 3)
- Donna Kim (D, 14)
Latest actions
- : Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 718).
- : Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Kidani Co-Chair; DeCorte.
- : Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710).
- : Senate disagrees with House amendments.
- : Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 640).
- : Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.
- : Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 04-14-26.
- : Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2103-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
- : The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
- : Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 04-07-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
Votes
- Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0) (April 14, 2026): 51 yea, 0 nay, passed
- FIN: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (April 7, 2026): 16 yea, 0 nay, 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) Garrett, Quinlan excused (2) (March 24, 2026): 49 yea, 0 nay, passed
- HLT: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (March 20, 2026): 9 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading (March 6, 2026): 24 yea, 0 nay, passed
- WAM: recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (March 3, 2026): 12 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Report, Housing, Appropriations, Counties, UH, Health, Study, Reports
Common questions
- What is SB2261?
- SB2261 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Relating to Health.
- What does SB2261 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act relating to health.
- What is the status of SB2261?
- Passed one chamber as of April 21, 2026. Latest action: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 718). (April 21, 2026).
- Who sponsored SB2261?
- Lynn DeCoite (D, 7), with 3 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SB2261?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2261&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.