SB 2949 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO INSURANCE.

Summary

Establishes the Ombudsman's Office for Homeowners Insurance within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Establishes the Ombudsman's Office for Homeowners Insurance Special Fund. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (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 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB2949 → SB2949_SD1 · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was reclassified from a House bill to a Senate draft version (SD1), updating metadata and formatting. The substantive policy change is the effective date of the new Ombudsman's Office for Homeowners Insurance, which was moved from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2050, significantly delaying the program's implementation.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the establishment of the Ombudsman's Office and the Special Fund remains unchanged, but the applicability of these new provisions is delayed by over two decades.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the new Ombudsman's Office and related insurance dispute resolution mechanisms was changed from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2050.

TECHNICAL

The bill type was changed from 'HB template' to 'SD Template', and associated metadata such as bill numbers and revision dates were updated to reflect the Senate draft 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

Feb 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

Reported from CPN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2548) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in CPN were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fukunaga, Lamosao, McKelvey; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Awa.

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on CPN has scheduled a public hearing on 02-13-26 9:30AM; CR 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Referred to CPN, WAM.

upper

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

Introduced.

upper

4 primary · 0 co-sponsors