HB 689 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION.

HB 689 establishes legal protections ("safe harbor") for survivors of sexual exploitation who seek medical care or contact law enforcement. It directly affects survivors by shielding them from legal consequences for actions related to their exploitation, such as possession of controlled substances or minor legal violations. The bill creates a clear pathway for survivors to access necessary services without fear of prosecution. It takes effect on July 1, 3000, as stated in the official abstract. This is a substantive policy change focused on survivor safety and access to support.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB689 → HB689_HD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill has been amended with minor text corrections and a significant change to its effective date. The most critical policy change is that the law will no longer take effect upon approval but will instead become active on July 1, 3000, effectively delaying its implementation indefinitely. Additionally, the bill title was updated to reflect that it provides assistance for medical or law enforcement needs.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on sexual exploitation and safe harbor protections, but the applicability is now nullified due to the distant effective date.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from 'upon approval' to 'July 1, 3000', preventing the law from taking effect in the foreseeable future.

TECHNICAL

Minor text edits were made to clarify phrasing regarding geographic restrictions and bail revocation procedures.

DEFINITION

The bill title and summary were updated to explicitly mention 'Medical or Law Enforcement Assistance'.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 12, 2025

Committee

Reported from HSH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 520) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 11, 2025

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, Chun, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Alcos, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to HSH, JHA, referral sheet 2

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

5 primary · 0 co-sponsors