HawaiiPublic employers can seek court protection for workers facing harassment
During a two-year pilot ending June 30, 2028, public employers can choose to ask courts to stop work-related harassment of covered public workers and officials.
What it does
During a two-year pilot, public employers may seek court orders stopping work-related harassment of covered workers and officials. Courts decide whether the evidence supports protection.
State employers may hire private lawyers through a system that depends on available funding. It excludes cases against someone in the same government branch; the court system has separate lawyer options.
Employers may decline to seek protection. This section does not authorize lawsuits over their filing decisions or the attorney general's lawyer system, and denies courts authority to hear those claims.
Argument forEmployer-filed requests could ease the burden on covered workers seeking court protection from work-related harassment.
Argument againstWorkers could receive uneven help because employers choose whether to file, and the law does not authorize lawsuits challenging those choices.
More detail
Public employers may ask district courts for orders stopping work-related harassment of covered workers and officials. Coverage includes Hawaii state and county workers and officials, election-office volunteers, and listed current or former state and federal judges. Eligible employers include government bodies and public or quasi-public organizations. Coverage includes physical harm or imminent threats, and repeated intentional or knowing conduct that seriously alarms or disturbs, continually bothers someone, serves no legitimate purpose, and would cause a reasonable person emotional distress. Courts require evidence before granting protection. Activities protected by the Constitution remain protected. Listed federal judges must live in Hawaii, have lived there while serving as federal judges, or own real property there. The pilot took effect July 1, 2026, and is repealed June 30, 2028, when the earlier version of the harassment law returns.
Hawaii's Department of the Attorney General must establish a system for state employers to hire private lawyers, depending on available money set aside for that purpose. The hiring system covers employers acting for the listed officials, workers, and volunteers in Hawaii's executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Employers cannot hire lawyers through this system if the person they seek protection from is in the same government branch. The attorney general and the listed attorney general staff cannot represent public employers or public servants in these cases. Court-system staff lawyers may represent covered court workers. The court system may also use its own money to hire private lawyers for them. These lawyer provisions took effect July 1, 2026, and are repealed June 30, 2028.
Public employers choose whether to seek protection. This section does not authorize private lawsuits over filing decisions or the attorney general's lawyer system. The lawsuit limits cover claims against the State, public employers, and public officials over filing decisions, and claims against the State or the attorney general's department and staff over its lawyer system. Public employers have no duty under this section to file a request. The section also denies courts authority to hear the claims it describes. These provisions took effect July 1, 2026, and are repealed June 30, 2028.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 9Act 111, 06/08/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1211).Latest
- Jun 9Act 111, on 06/08/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1211).Became Law
- May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
- May 8Enrolled to Governor.To Governor
- May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
- Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
- May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Alcos excused (1).Major
- May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
- May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 12:00PM in Conference Room 016.
- Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
- May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 3:45PM in Conference Room 411.
- May 1The 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) Elefante, Rhoads, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
- May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 3 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Tarnas, Lee, M.; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Gedeon.Minor
- May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 207-26).
- May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
- May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 207-26) as amended in (CD 1).
- May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
- Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
- Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
- Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
- Apr 27Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
- Apr 24Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-27-26 9:00AM in conference room 016.
- Apr 23Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 8:45AM in conference room 016.
- Apr 22Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 720).Minor
- Apr 21House Conferees Appointed: Sayama, Tarnas, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Gedeon.
- Apr 21Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 800).Minor
- Apr 21Senate Conferees Appointed: Elefante Chair; Rhoads, Kanuha Co-Chairs; Fevella.
- Apr 16Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 672).Minor
- Apr 16Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
- Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710).Minor
- Apr 14Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
- Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 10Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2106-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
- Apr 7The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos, Gedeon; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 2Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 04-07-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- Mar 30Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1543-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.
- Vote recorded Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 30Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Lowen, Perruso, Quinlan excused (4).Minor
- Mar 24The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Kahaloa, Takayama, Cochran, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Sayama.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 20Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1260-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
- Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 20Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).Minor
- Mar 20Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Tuesday, 03-24-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- Mar 17The 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, Kong; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Reyes Oda.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 12Pass First ReadingMinor
- Mar 12Referred to LAB, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 17Minor
- Mar 12Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 03-17-26 9:30AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- Mar 10Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Awa). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
- Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 10Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 261) in amended form (SD 2).Minor
- Mar 6Reported from JDC/WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3067) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
- Mar 648 Hrs. Notice 03-10-26.
- Mar 4The 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, Gabbard, Chang, San Buenaventura; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 1 No(es): Senator(s) Awa; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 4The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Mar 2The committee(s) on JDC/WAM will hold a public decision making on 03-04-26 10:35AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
- Feb 20Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2538) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC/WAM.
- Feb 20Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC/WAM.Minor
- Feb 17Re-Referred to LBT, JDC/WAM.Minor
- Feb 13The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Elefante, Lamosao, Ihara, Moriwaki, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 2The committee(s) on LBT deferred the measure until 02-13-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.Minor
- Jan 30The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-02-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
- Jan 28Referred to LBT, JDC.Minor
- Jan 23Introduced.Minor
- Jan 23Passed First Reading.Introduced
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