Informing the Legislature that on May 27, 2026, the Governor signed the following bill into law: HB2096 HD2 SD1 (ACT 048).

This bill informs the Hawaii Legislature that Governor Josh Green signed HB2096 into law on May 27, 2026. The law amends child protective statutes to establish a specific process for handling cases where a child faces "aggravated circumstances," such as parental murder, severe assault, or sexual abuse. When these serious conditions are found, the court must order a permanency hearing within thirty days and can move to terminate parental rights within sixty days unless a compelling reason exists to keep the parents involved. Additionally, the bill expands the legal definition of aggravated circumstances to include situations like a parent having rights terminated for a sibling or being required to register as a sex offender.