SB 2848 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO HEARING AIDS.

Summary

Exempts from the general excise tax, gross receipts from the sale of hearing aids received by a hospital, infirmary, medical clinic, health care facility, pharmacy, or a practitioner licensed to administer drugs to an individual. Effective 1/30/2050. Implementation effective 1/1/2027. (SD1)

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Last action Feb 19, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB2848 → SB2848_SD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was converted from a Senate version to a Senate District 1 version, updating the bill number and author information. The most significant change is the timeline: the law now takes effect on January 30, 2050, with implementation beginning January 1, 2027, replacing the previous sunset provision that would have repealed the act in 2028. Minor technical updates include formatting corrections to statutory definitions and the removal of a repealed section.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the tax exemption for hearing aids remains the same, but the duration of the law has been extended significantly by removing the automatic repeal clause.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed to January 30, 2050, and the repeal date was removed, extending the law's lifespan indefinitely rather than ending it in 2028.

A new implementation date of January 1, 2027, was added to specify when the rules begin to be enforced.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated to reflect the 'SD1' version with a new sponsor name and revised metadata numbers.

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

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM/CPN.

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2420) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM/CPN.

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, McKelvey, Kanuha, Keohokalole, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Feb 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on HHS added the measure to the public hearing scheduled on 02-11-26 1:00PM; CR 225 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Referred to HHS, WAM/CPN.

upper

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

Introduced.

upper

7 primary · 2 co-sponsors