SB 3245HawaiiProcess complete

Hawaii would set food assistance review periods for households

Hawaii’s Department of Human Services would set minimum food assistance review periods and join a project to simplify eligibility reviews for some households.

What it does

The department would set a minimum 12-month period for households receiving food assistance. If every adult in a household is 60 or older, its minimum period would be 24 months.

The department would take part in a project to simplify eligibility reviews. It would set recertification periods of at least 36 months for households made up only of older adults or adults with disabilities, and waive interviews when federal law allows.

The department would report on participating households, administrative costs, and participation rates before the 2029 and 2030 regular sessions.

Argument forEligible older adults and adults with disabilities could have fewer repeat reviews, and some households could avoid interviews when federal law allows.

Argument againstLonger gaps between eligibility reviews and fewer interviews could make it harder to notice when a household’s situation changes.

More detail

The Department of Human Services would set minimum food assistance certification periods. The minimum would be 12 months for households receiving benefits, and at least 24 months when every adult in the household is 60 or older. If approved, the Act would take effect upon approval.

The department would take part in the Elderly Simplified Application Project to simplify eligibility reviews. The project would provide recertification periods of at least 36 months for households made up entirely of adults age 60 or older, or adults with disabilities. The department would waive recertification interviews only to the extent federal law allows. If approved, the Act would take effect upon approval.

The department would report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature. The reports would cover the food assistance program and the Elderly Simplified Application Project. Reports would include household numbers and characteristics, administrative cost savings or changes, and participation rates. Each report would be due at least 20 days before the regular session convenes in 2029 and 2030.

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More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 28
Passed SenateMar 6
Passed HouseApr 14
To GovernorMay 8
Became LawJul 7

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 7Act 193, 07/07/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1295).Latest
2. Jul 7Act 193, on 07/07/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1295).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 8Enrolled to Governor.To Governor
5. 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
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
9. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Hartsfield, Olds, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 195-26).
11. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
12. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 195-26) as amended in (CD 1).
13. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
14. Apr 30Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 2:30PM; CR 329.
15. Apr 28Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-30-26 2:30PM; Conference Room 329.
16. Apr 27Senate Conferees Appointed: McKelvey Chair; Kanuha Co-Chair; Fevella.
17. Apr 27Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-28-26 2:20PM; Conference Room 329.
18. Apr 27Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 779).Minor
19. Apr 23Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 811).Minor
20. Apr 22House Conferees Appointed: Marten, Hartsfield Co-Chairs; Olds, Garcia.
21. Apr 16Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 767).Minor
22. Apr 16Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
23. Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710).Minor
24. Apr 14Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
25. Apr 10Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2095-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
26. Apr 8The 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, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
27. Apr 6Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Wednesday, 04-08-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
28. Mar 24Reported from HSH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1372-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
29. Mar 24Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Garrett, Quinlan excused (2).Minor
30. Mar 19The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Hartsfield, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Alcos, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
31. Mar 17Bill scheduled to be heard by HSH on Thursday, 03-19-26 9:30AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
32. Mar 10Pass First ReadingMinor
33. Mar 10Referred to HSH, FIN, referral sheet 16Minor
34. Mar 6Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Ihara). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
35. Mar 6Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 128) in amended form (SD 1).Minor
36. Mar 5Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2830) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
37. Mar 5One Day Notice 03-06-26.
38. Mar 3The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
39. Feb 25The committee(s) on WAM deferred the measure until 03-03-26 10:15AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.Minor
40. Feb 23The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-25-26 10:56AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
41. Feb 20Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2552) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
42. Feb 20Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
43. Feb 18The 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.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
44. Feb 13The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 02-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
45. Feb 2Referred to HHS, WAM.Minor
46. Jan 28Introduced.Minor
47. Jan 28Passed First Reading.Introduced

Government & Ethics

Issue with this bill?

SB 3245HawaiiProcess complete

Hawaii would set food assistance review periods for households

Hawaii’s Department of Human Services would set minimum food assistance review periods and join a project to simplify eligibility reviews for some households.

What it does

The department would set a minimum 12-month period for households receiving food assistance. If every adult in a household is 60 or older, its minimum period would be 24 months.

The department would report on participating households, administrative costs, and participation rates before the 2029 and 2030 regular sessions.

Argument forEligible older adults and adults with disabilities could have fewer repeat reviews, and some households could avoid interviews when federal law allows.

Argument againstLonger gaps between eligibility reviews and fewer interviews could make it harder to notice when a household’s situation changes.

More detail

Where do you stand?

Tell your reps

Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.

More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 28
Passed SenateMar 6
Passed HouseApr 14
To GovernorMay 8
Became LawJul 7

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 7Act 193, 07/07/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1295).Latest
2. Jul 7Act 193, on 07/07/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1295).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 8Enrolled to Governor.To Governor
5. 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
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Kanuha; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
9. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Hartsfield, Olds, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 195-26).
11. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
12. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 195-26) as amended in (CD 1).
13. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
14. Apr 30Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 2:30PM; CR 329.
15. Apr 28Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-30-26 2:30PM; Conference Room 329.
16. Apr 27Senate Conferees Appointed: McKelvey Chair; Kanuha Co-Chair; Fevella.
17. Apr 27Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-28-26 2:20PM; Conference Room 329.
18. Apr 27Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 779).Minor
19. Apr 23Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 811).Minor
20. Apr 22House Conferees Appointed: Marten, Hartsfield Co-Chairs; Olds, Garcia.
21. Apr 16Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 767).Minor
22. Apr 16Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
23. Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710).Minor
24. Apr 14Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
25. Apr 10Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2095-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
26. Apr 8The 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, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
27. Apr 6Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Wednesday, 04-08-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
28. Mar 24Reported from HSH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1372-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
29. Mar 24Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Garrett, Quinlan excused (2).Minor
30. Mar 19The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Marten, Olds, Amato, Hartsfield, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Takayama, Takenouchi, Alcos, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on HSH recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
31. Mar 17Bill scheduled to be heard by HSH on Thursday, 03-19-26 9:30AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
32. Mar 10Pass First ReadingMinor
33. Mar 10Referred to HSH, FIN, referral sheet 16Minor
34. Mar 6Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Ihara). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
35. Mar 6Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 128) in amended form (SD 1).Minor
36. Mar 5Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2830) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
37. Mar 5One Day Notice 03-06-26.
38. Mar 3The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
39. Feb 25The committee(s) on WAM deferred the measure until 03-03-26 10:15AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.Minor
40. Feb 23The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-25-26 10:56AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
41. Feb 20Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2552) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
42. Feb 20Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
43. Feb 18The 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.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
44. Feb 13The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 02-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
45. Feb 2Referred to HHS, WAM.Minor
46. Jan 28Introduced.Minor
47. Jan 28Passed First Reading.Introduced

Government & Ethics

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Where it stands

Looking ahead

History

What it does

Where do you stand?

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More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History