HB 2153 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

HB 2153 establishes the Kūpaʻa Law Enforcement Retention Bonus Program, which provides financial incentives to help retain law enforcement officers. The bill allocates state funds specifically for these retention bonuses, directly affecting eligible law enforcement officers in Hawaii. The key mechanism is the state appropriating dedicated funding to cover the bonus payments. This policy change creates a formal, funded program to support officer retention efforts.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 26, 2026 Last action Mar 10, 2026

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What changed between versions

HB2153 → HB2153_HD1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to explicitly tie the retention bonus program to collective bargaining agreements under Section 89-9 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, ensuring the program's structure and requirements are negotiated with law enforcement unions. The effective date was drastically changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 3000, likely to allow the program to remain in effect indefinitely or until a new statute is passed, while the end date was adjusted to June 30, 2028. The report title was slightly shortened, and specific references to the program name were added to various subsections for clarity.

Scope change

The bill's scope is now contingent upon collective bargaining negotiations, meaning the program's specific requirements and administration depend on agreements reached with law enforcement unions rather than being set unilaterally by the department.

REQUIREMENT

Added language requiring the program's requirements, bonus amounts, and administrative rules to be negotiated through collective bargaining under Section 89-9.

Updated the end date of the program from June 30, 2028, to allow obligations incurred before that date to be paid.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 3000, and clarified that unencumbered funds must lapse on June 30, 2028.

DEFINITION

Added the specific program name 'kūpaʻa law enforcement retention bonus program' to multiple subsections for consistency.

TECHNICAL

Shortened the report title and adjusted metadata fields such as author names and document identifiers.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to PSM, WAM.

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 189).

upper

Mar 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

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

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. 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; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 745-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Cochran, Kahaloa, Takayama, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem, Sayama.

lower

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 5

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

15 primary · 0 co-sponsors