SB 2249 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO BRIBERY.

SB 2249 establishes increased penalties for bribery offenses under certain circumstances. The bill specifically targets bribery by raising criminal penalties when specific conditions apply, though the abstract does not detail those conditions or identify which individuals or entities would be directly affected. Key provisions involve modifying penalty structures for bribery convictions, but the official abstract provides no further specifics on the circumstances or mechanisms. As the bill is currently pending introduction (with no committee referrals finalized), no concrete policy changes have been enacted. The summary is based solely on the provided abstract, which lacks details on affected parties or exact penalty levels.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB2249 SB2249_SD1 · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates the definition of 'public servant' to explicitly include elected or appointed officials whose salaries are set by the state commission. It significantly raises the monetary threshold for enhanced bribery penalties from $20,000 to $50,000 and removes a specific provision regarding repeat offenders committing three or more acts within three years. Additionally, the effective date of the law is set to March 22, 2075.
Scope change
The scope of who is considered a 'public servant' for bribery purposes has been expanded to include officials with commission-determined salaries, and the financial threshold for severe penalties has increased.
DEFINITION

Added a specific definition for 'elected or appointed official' to clarify that individuals whose salaries are determined by the commission on salaries are included in bribery protections.

REQUIREMENT

Increased the aggregate value threshold for enhanced bribery penalties from $20,000 to $50,000.

Deleted the specific criterion that committing three or more acts of bribery within a three-year period would trigger enhanced penalties.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the legislation from immediate approval to March 22, 2075.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
4
Committee
5
Mar 12, 2026
Committee
Referred to JHA, referral sheet 17
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Introduced
Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 198) in amended form (SD 1).
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1).
upper
Feb 24, 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
Feb 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing on 02-24-26 9:45AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.
upper
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
Re-Referred to JDC.
upper
Jan 26, 2026
Committee
Referred to PSM, JDC.
upper
Jan 21, 2026
Introduced
Introduced and passed First Reading.
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Introduced
Pending Introduction.
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Ron Kouchi
Ron Kouchi
DDemocratic
HI
8