HB 1705 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO CHILD CUSTODY.

HB 1705 allows licensed mental health counselors to serve as child custody evaluators in court cases. This change directly affects families involved in custody disputes, as it expands the pool of qualified professionals who can assess children's well-being during these proceedings. The bill modifies existing law to permit counselors with appropriate licensure to be appointed for this specific role, rather than limiting it to other types of evaluators. This is a concrete policy change that alters who can provide these evaluations in family court.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Jul 2026

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Signed Jul 10, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB1705_SD1 → HB1705_SD2 · 2 edits

MINOR

This bill updated the legislative version from SD1 to SD2, reflecting changes in authorship, dates, and page numbers. The most significant policy change is the removal of a specific effective date, allowing the law to take effect immediately upon approval rather than waiting until January 31, 2050.

Scope change

The bill's applicability is now immediate upon approval, removing the previous delay until 2050.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from January 31, 2050, to 'upon approval', meaning the law will be active as soon as it is signed.

TECHNICAL

The bill's version number was updated from S.D. 1 to S.D. 2, along with updated author names and timestamps.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Final Reading as amended in SD 2 with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Evslin excused (1).

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Introduced

House agrees to Senate amendment(s).

lower

Apr 16, 2026

Amended

House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).

lower

Apr 14, 2026

Introduced

Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 606) in amended form (SD 2).

lower

Apr 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.

upper

Apr 1, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in JDC were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Chang, San Buenaventura, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Gabbard.

upper

Mar 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC will hold a public decision making on 04-01-26 10:30AM; CR 016 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC.

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3129) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.

upper

Mar 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, McKelvey, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fevella.

upper

Mar 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 03-16-26 1:10PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to HHS, JDC.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 149).

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso, Quinlan, Sayama excused (3). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Cochran, Hashem, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Belatti.

lower

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

Reported from HSH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 310-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Hartsfield, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Alcos; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to HSH, JHA, referral sheet 1

lower

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 20, 2026

Introduced

Prefiled.

lower

16 primary · 0 co-sponsors