HB 2554 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO SEARCH AND RESCUE.

Summary

Temporarily establishes, within the Office of the Governor, the Office of the State Search and Rescue Coordinator to review, assess, coordinate, prepare, and manage plans and resources for search and rescue operations statewide. Repeals on 6/30/2031. Appropriates moneys. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 28, 2026 Last action Feb 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB2554_HD1 → HB2554_HD2 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This revision updates the bill's version number and author information while refining the legislative text to improve clarity and consistency. The most significant substantive change is the replacement of the appointment process for the State Search and Rescue Coordinator, shifting from a gubernatorial appointment based on external nominations to a civil service position selected directly by the Governor without Senate confirmation. Additionally, the bill reorganizes the duties of the coordinator by splitting the original list into separate subsections for qualifications, hiring authority, and specific operational mandates.

Scope change

The bill's operational scope remains focused on establishing a centralized search and rescue office, but the mechanism for staffing that office has changed from a political appointment to a civil service role.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the appointment method for the State Search and Rescue Coordinator from a gubernatorial appointment based on nominations to a civil service position selected directly by the Governor without Senate confirmation.

Added new qualifications requiring the coordinator to have education or training related to office programs and significant experience in search and rescue operations.

Granted the coordinator explicit authority to employ assistants and remove them for cause, previously implied but not explicitly detailed.

DEFINITION

Updated legal definitions for 'Rescue' and 'Search' to use more precise language regarding access, care, and location of individuals.

TECHNICAL

Reorganized the list of coordinator duties into distinct subsections (d through j) for better readability and separated the reporting requirements from the operational duties.

Corrected minor grammatical inconsistencies and formatting issues throughout the bill text, such as changing 'chapter' to 'Act' where appropriate and standardizing punctuation.

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

Feb 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).

lower

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 734-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Cochran, Hashem, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Committee

Reported from PBS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 226-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on PBS recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Belatti, Iwamoto, Hashem, Ichiyama, Morikawa, Poepoe, Woodson, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to PBS, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 6

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

5 primary · 1 co-sponsor