HB 1521 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.

Summary

Requires contractors performing an agency function to retain records related to the performance of that function and provide agencies with access to those records. Deems the records to be government records under the Uniform Information Practices Act. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 10, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB1521 → HB1521_HD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to change the terminology from 'government function' to 'agency function' to better align with the specific roles of public agencies. The effective date was significantly delayed from immediate approval to July 1, 3000, likely to allow for future legislative review or as a placeholder. The bill's purpose remains to ensure private contractors performing work for the state retain records and make them accessible under public records laws.

Scope change

The scope was slightly refined by replacing the term 'government function' with 'agency function' throughout the text, clarifying that the rules apply specifically to functions authorized or required by law to be performed by an agency.

DEFINITION

Changed the term 'government function' to 'agency function' in the findings, statutory text, and definitions to ensure precise legal alignment.

TIMELINE

Extended the effective date of the Act from 'upon approval' to 'July 1, 3000', effectively delaying enforcement indefinitely or as a placeholder.

TECHNICAL

Updated metadata including the bill version number, author names, and page numbers to reflect House Draft 1 revisions.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 9, 2026

Committee

Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 101-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Cochran, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama; Ayes with reservations: none; 2 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia, Shimizu; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 14, 2026

Introduced

Prefiled.

lower

15 primary · 0 co-sponsors