HB 1886 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS.

Summary

Establishes provisions limiting state and federal collaboration for purposes of immigration enforcement operations. Establishes identification and facial coverings standards for state and federal law enforcement officers. Establishes criminal offenses for improper facial coverings and lack of visible identification and unauthorized civil immigration arrest or detention. Effective 7/1/2055. (SD2)

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Last action Apr 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB1886_SD1 → HB1886_SD2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision updates metadata to reflect a second special session and modifies law enforcement identification rules to allow exceptions for undercover operations. It also narrows the definition of unauthorized immigration enforcement by removing the term 'interrogation' and clarifies that the law applies only when officers lack reasonable suspicion of unlawful presence.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding immigration enforcement was narrowed by removing 'interrogation' from the prohibited activities, and the identification requirements now explicitly exclude plainclothes or undercover operations authorized by supervisors.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill metadata to reflect the second special session (SD2) and revised dates.

REQUIREMENT

Modified identification requirements to allow officers in plainclothes or undercover operations to conceal their identity if authorized by supervisors or court order.

Added a clause requiring that identification requirements be interpreted consistently with existing state law.

DEFINITION

Removed 'interrogation' from the list of prohibited unauthorized immigration activities, limiting the offense to arrests or detentions.

HB1886_HD1 → HB1886_HD2 · 10 edits

MAJOR

This bill revision clarifies definitions regarding federal law enforcement and legal assistance, expands protections against state cooperation with immigration enforcement, and adds a 'safe harbor' clause to protect public employees acting in good faith. It also updates penalties for unauthorized immigration actions and introduces new exemptions for law enforcement officers wearing facial coverings during emergencies.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include 'Hawaii State Constitution' in protections against penalties and to add new exemptions for law enforcement officers in exigent circumstances or hazardous conditions.

DEFINITION

Reordered the phrase 'civil or criminal' in the definition of 'Federal law enforcement officer' to match standard legal phrasing.

Added the definition of 'Legal assistance' to clarify what constitutes legal advice or representation.

Changed the term 'Interrogate' to 'Interrogation' in the definitions section for consistency.

REQUIREMENT

Reversed the order of federal and state laws in the limitation on state-federal collaboration to emphasize that federal law takes precedence.

Added 'or' to the list of locations where immigration enforcement is restricted, ensuring schools, health facilities, courthouses, and places of worship are all covered.

Expanded the limitation on state deputization to explicitly include 'screenings' alongside checkpoints and traffic stops.

Added a new exemption allowing law enforcement to wear facial coverings during exigent circumstances, imminent danger, or to prevent evidence destruction.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new 'safe harbor' provision protecting public employees from penalties when acting in good faith to comply with the chapter.

Changed the penalty for unauthorized civil immigration interrogation from a 'class C felony' to a 'class C felony' (removing the word 'is' for grammatical consistency).

TECHNICAL

Updated the version numbers, dates, and line counts in the document header to reflect the House of Representatives second reading.

HB1886 → HB1886_HD1 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill significantly strengthens restrictions on state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and imposes stricter rules on law enforcement identification. It removes previous limitations that prevented state agencies from assisting federal authorities, replacing them with a blanket prohibition unless specifically required by federal law. Additionally, the bill introduces new criminal penalties for officers who wear facial coverings or fail to display visible identification during public duties.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from limiting state-federal collaboration to explicitly prohibiting cooperation in immigration enforcement operations, while also adding new criminal offenses related to officer identification and unauthorized immigration interrogations.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the rule on state-federal collaboration from a general limitation to a specific prohibition on assisting immigration enforcement operations, except where required by federal or state law.

Added new requirements that law enforcement officers must display visible identification including their name and badge number while engaging with the public.

Added a prohibition on law enforcement officers wearing facial coverings that conceal their identity during official duties.

Removed the provision stating that federal law enforcement officers acting under arrest warrants are deemed to act in their personal capacity.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new misdemeanor penalty for violating the chapter's restrictions on state-federal collaboration regarding immigration enforcement.

Created a new class C felony offense for officers who interrogate, arrest, or detain individuals solely to determine their civil immigration status without reasonable suspicion.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the act from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 3000.

DEFINITION

Removed the definition of 'Federal authorities' and modified the definition of 'Personal information' to remove references to devices linked to individuals.

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 16, 2026

Amended

House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).

lower

Apr 14, 2026

Introduced

Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 635) in amended form (SD 2).

lower

Apr 14, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 22; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) DeCoite, McKelvey. Noes, 3 (Senator(s) Awa, DeCorte, Fevella). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.

upper

Apr 7, 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, Gabbard, Chang, San Buenaventura; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Awa.

upper

Apr 1, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC will hold a public decision making on 04-07-26 10:15AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Committee

Reported from PSM/EIG (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3295) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on PSM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in PSM were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Fukunaga, Lee, C., Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) DeCorte; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Inouye.

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EIG were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) DeCoite, Richards ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) Fevella; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Mar 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on PSM/EIG has scheduled a public hearing on 03-23-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to PSM/EIG, JDC.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 311).

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Kila voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Gedeon, Kong, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Shimizu voting no (7) and Representative(s) Pierick excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 25, 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, Cochran, Hashem, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama; Ayes with reservations: none; 2 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia, Shimizu; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Belatti.

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 426-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Holt, Tam, Templo, Yamashita; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Gedeon; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to ECD, JHA, referral sheet 2

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

19 primary · 0 co-sponsors