SB 2259HawaiiProcess complete

Businesses may apply for state dementia-friendly recognition

If enacted and funded, Hawaii businesses could apply for state recognition after all current employees complete one hour of approved dementia training.

What it does

Businesses could apply online for state dementia-friendly recognition after all current employees complete one hour of approved training. Recognized businesses would receive badges, decals, and website listing.

The measure would provide state funding for the program during fiscal year 2026-2027, but the supplied text does not state a dollar amount.

Argument forA public list, website badge, and location decal could help people with dementia and their families identify businesses prepared to serve them.

Argument againstRequiring every current employee to complete training could take staff time, especially for businesses with many employees.

More detail

The department would create a program that lets businesses apply online for dementia-friendly recognition. The program would serve Hawaii businesses and promote awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Businesses would receive a list of approved organizations that provide dementia training. All current employees would have to complete a one-hour training session before the business qualifies. After training, the business would receive a website badge and a physical logo decal or sticker. The department would publish recognized businesses online and could promote the program through different media. If enacted, the program would take effect on July 1, 2026.

The state would set aside money for the department to establish and administer the program. The money would be used by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for the dementia-friendly business recognition program. The supplied text leaves the dollar amount blank and says the state would provide the amount needed. The funding would be for fiscal year 2026-2027. The funding would apply during fiscal year 2026-2027, beginning with the program’s stated July 1, 2026, effective date.

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More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 15
Passed SenateFeb 24
Passed HouseApr 9
To GovernorMay 8
Became LawJul 14

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 14Act 251, 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353).Latest
2. Jul 14Act 251, on 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353).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 in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 11:30AM in Conference Room 411.
  - 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
9. May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 4:31PM in Conference Room 411.
10. May 1Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 5:37 PM; Conference Room 329.
11. May 1Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 5:40 PM; Conference Room 309.
12. 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) DeCoite, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
13. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
14. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 237-26).
15. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
16. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 237-26) as amended in (CD 1).
17. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
18. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 8:01AM in conference room 411.
19. Apr 28Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-30-26 8:30AM in conference room 411.
20. Apr 22Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 720).Minor
21. Apr 21Senate Conferees Appointed: DeCoite Chair; Wakai Co-Chair; Fevella.
22. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Ilagan, Hussey Co-Chairs; Tam, Gedeon.
23. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 787).Minor
24. Apr 10Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 503).Minor
25. Apr 10Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
26. Apr 10Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 564).Minor
27. Apr 9Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2003-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
28. Apr 9Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
29. 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, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
30. Apr 2The committee(s) on FIN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 04-07-26.Minor
31. Apr 2Bill scheduled for decision making on Tuesday, 04-07-26 10:10AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
32. Mar 31Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 04-02-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
33. Mar 24Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1328-26) 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
34. 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
35. Mar 20The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
36. Mar 16Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 03-20-26 9:30AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
37. Mar 12This measure has been deleted from the meeting scheduled on Friday 03-13-26 10:00AM in conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
38. Mar 10Referred to ECD, FIN, referral sheet 15Minor
39. Mar 10Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 03-13-26 10:00AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
40. Feb 25Pass First ReadingMinor
41. Feb 24Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Gabbard). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
42. Feb 24Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 10) in amended form (SD 1).Minor
43. Feb 23Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2697) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
44. Feb 23One Day Notice 02-24-26.
45. Feb 19The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 11 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kim, Lee, C., Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Richards.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
46. Feb 13The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-19-26 10:30AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
47. Feb 11Reported from EDT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2190) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
48. Feb 11Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
49. Feb 3The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDT were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) DeCoite, Wakai, Fukunaga, Kim, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
50. Jan 30The committee(s) on EDT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-03-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
51. Jan 26Referred to EDT, WAM.Minor
52. Jan 21Introduced and passed First Reading.Minor
53. Jan 15Pending Introduction.Introduced

HealthcareEconomy & JobsMental Health

Issue with this bill?

SB 2259HawaiiProcess complete

Businesses may apply for state dementia-friendly recognition

If enacted and funded, Hawaii businesses could apply for state recognition after all current employees complete one hour of approved dementia training.

What it does

The measure would provide state funding for the program during fiscal year 2026-2027, but the supplied text does not state a dollar amount.

Argument forA public list, website badge, and location decal could help people with dementia and their families identify businesses prepared to serve them.

Argument againstRequiring every current employee to complete training could take staff time, especially for businesses with many employees.

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 15
Passed SenateFeb 24
Passed HouseApr 9
To GovernorMay 8
Became LawJul 14

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 14Act 251, 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353).Latest
2. Jul 14Act 251, on 07/14/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1353).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 in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 11:30AM in Conference Room 411.
  - 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
9. May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 4:31PM in Conference Room 411.
10. May 1Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 5:37 PM; Conference Room 329.
11. May 1Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 05-01-26 5:40 PM; Conference Room 309.
12. 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) DeCoite, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella.Minor
13. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
14. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 237-26).
15. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26.
16. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 237-26) as amended in (CD 1).
17. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
18. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 8:01AM in conference room 411.
19. Apr 28Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-30-26 8:30AM in conference room 411.
20. Apr 22Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 720).Minor
21. Apr 21Senate Conferees Appointed: DeCoite Chair; Wakai Co-Chair; Fevella.
22. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Ilagan, Hussey Co-Chairs; Tam, Gedeon.
23. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 787).Minor
24. Apr 10Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 503).Minor
25. Apr 10Senate disagrees with House amendments.Minor
26. Apr 10Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 564).Minor
27. Apr 9Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2003-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
28. Apr 9Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
29. 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, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
30. Apr 2The committee(s) on FIN recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until 04-07-26.Minor
31. Apr 2Bill scheduled for decision making on Tuesday, 04-07-26 10:10AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
32. Mar 31Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 04-02-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
33. Mar 24Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1328-26) 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
34. 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
35. Mar 20The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Tam, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
36. Mar 16Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 03-20-26 9:30AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
37. Mar 12This measure has been deleted from the meeting scheduled on Friday 03-13-26 10:00AM in conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
38. Mar 10Referred to ECD, FIN, referral sheet 15Minor
39. Mar 10Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 03-13-26 10:00AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
40. Feb 25Pass First ReadingMinor
41. Feb 24Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Gabbard). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
42. Feb 24Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 10) in amended form (SD 1).Minor
43. Feb 23Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2697) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
44. Feb 23One Day Notice 02-24-26.
45. Feb 19The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 11 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kim, Lee, C., Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Richards.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
46. Feb 13The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-19-26 10:30AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
47. Feb 11Reported from EDT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2190) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
48. Feb 11Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
49. Feb 3The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDT were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) DeCoite, Wakai, Fukunaga, Kim, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on EDT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
50. Jan 30The committee(s) on EDT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-03-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
51. Jan 26Referred to EDT, WAM.Minor
52. Jan 21Introduced and passed First Reading.Minor
53. Jan 15Pending Introduction.Introduced

HealthcareEconomy & JobsMental Health

Issue with this bill?

What it does

Where do you stand?

Choose your position

Tell your reps

More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History

What it does

Where do you stand?

Choose your position

Tell your reps

More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History