SB 2466 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO THE CHIEF ELECTIONS OFFICER.

SB 2466 would require that the Chief Election Officer can only be terminated for specific reasons (e.g., misconduct) after completing a probationary period. This bill directly affects the Chief Election Officer by protecting their position from arbitrary removal by elected officials. The provision is procedural in nature, focusing on job security standards rather than substantive policy changes. The bill is currently pending committee review and has not yet become law.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Jun 2026

Introduced Jan 22, 2026 Signed Jun 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB2466_HD1 → SB2466_HD2 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill version was updated from HD1 to HD2, reflecting a revision in the legislative process. The substantive text regarding the Chief Election Officer's employment status was restructured for clarity, though the core requirement that the officer is an at-will employee terminable only for cause remains unchanged. Technical metadata, such as document identifiers and timestamps, was also updated to reflect the new version.

TECHNICAL

The legislative header was updated from H.D. 1 to H.D. 2, indicating a new version of the bill.

The specific wording describing the Chief Election Officer's employment status was rephrased for grammatical flow, but the legal meaning regarding at-will employment and termination for cause remains the same.

Internal document metadata, including revision numbers, page counts, and timestamps, were updated to reflect the changes made in this version.

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 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 21; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 3 (Senator(s) Awa, DeCorte, Fevella). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Richards).

upper

Apr 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with Representative(s) Kila, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Cochran, Garcia, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Reyes Oda, Shimizu voting no (9) and none excused (0).

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 2-26) as amended in (CD 1).

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Introduced

48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 04-30-26.

upper

Apr 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 2-26).

upper

Apr 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 2 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Tarnas; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Reyes Oda; and 0 Excused: none.

lower

Apr 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Gabbard, Chang; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Apr 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-22-26 2:30PM; Conference Room 325.

upper

Apr 16, 2026

Amended

Senate disagrees with House amendments.

upper

Apr 16, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 662).

upper

Apr 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Kila, Reyes Oda, Souza voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Cochran, Garcia, Gedeon, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Pierick, Shimizu voting no (8) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Mar 31, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Hashem, Kahaloa, Takayama; Ayes with reservations: none; 3 Noes: Representative(s) Cochran, Garcia, Shimizu; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Belatti, Sayama.

lower

Mar 20, 2026

Committee

Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1261-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Mar 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Kong; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Reyes Oda.

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to LAB, JHA, referral sheet 16

lower

Mar 6, 2026

Introduced

Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 55).

lower

Mar 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 21; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 3 (Senator(s) Awa, DeCorte, Fevella). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Ihara). Transmitted to House.

upper

Mar 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading.

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in JDC were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Gabbard; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) Awa; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Chang, San Buenaventura.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing on 02-13-26 9:00AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Re-Referred to JDC.

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Committee

Referred to LBT, JDC.

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Introduced

Introduced.

upper

3 primary · 0 co-sponsors