House Consumer Protection committee advances a slate of bills on insurance, health care, condos and invasive-species rules

The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce met March 25 in Conference Room 329 and advanced multiple Senate bills on topics including prior authorization of health services, condominium document access, firewood/invasive-species controls, insurance-notice requirements and regulatory housekeeping. Committee leadership announced votes and adopted the chair's recommendations on the measures after testimony from state agencies, trade groups and individual citizens.

The committee moved quickly through the agenda, taking testimony on each measure and then voting. Agency witnesses and stakeholder groups repeatedly stated they stood on their written testimony and asked the committee either to adopt statutory language or to send the bills forward with specific amendments. "On behalf of the Department of Human Services, we stand on our written testimony and strong support," said Gina Moore Peterson, MedQUEST administrator, during testimony on SB1411 (Medicaid third-party liability). Justin Lam of the Department of Health said the department "stands on its written testimony" on SB1438 and warned that "over the past, 8 years, home care agencies have been utilizing unlicensed personnel to perform skilled nursing services, for and puts the kupuna, of our state at risk."

On SB140 (invasive species), Rob Hoff of the Department of Land and Natural Resources said the department "strongly support[s] this bill" and cited mainland campaigns such as "Don't Move Firewood" as precedent. Stephanie Easley of the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species said simply, "We are in strong support of this bill. Firewood has bark." On SB385 (condominiums), Raylene Tenno, speaking for the Hawaii Council of Community Associations, said "They are fine with it being on a website. It could be in a either open website or the portal where owners have to log in." Several speakers asked that electronic access be free and that paper copies be permitted at reasonable cost.

Where stakeholders asked for amendments, the committee generally adopted the chair's recommendations. For example, the committee approved language exempting tour boat operators from SB1402 (vessels in state commercial harbors) after consultation with ILWU and other parties. On SB1449 (prior authorization of healthcare services) the committee added laboratory and diagnostic tests to the bill's text and set the working group's first report due 20 days before the 2026 legislative session and 20 days before subsequent sessions.

Votes at a glance

- SB1402 SD1 HD1 (vessels in state commercial harbors): Chair recommended passage with amendments (exempting tour boat operators). Committee adopted the recommendation. Vote recorded for named members: Chair Matayoshi (aye), Vice Chair Chun (aye), Representative Ilagan (aye), Representative Iwamoto (aye), Representative Kong (aye), Representative Lowen (aye), Representative Martin (aye), Representative Tam (aye), Representative Pierrick (aye). Outcome: passed with amendments.

- SB1411 SD2 HD1 (Medicaid third-party liability): Chair recommended placing the bill on a clean date; recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed with amendments (clean date).

- SB1438 SD1 (home care agencies): Chair recommended placing the bill on a clean date; recommendation adopted. One member recorded a no vote (Rep. Puric). Outcome: passed with amendments (recorded no: Rep. Puric).

- SB1449 SD1 HD1 (prior authorization of health-care services): Chair recommended passage with amendments adding lab and diagnostic tests and setting working-group reporting deadlines; recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed with amendments.

- SB1291 SD1 (certified public accountants): Chair recommended passage as is; recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed unamended.

- SB752 SD1 (insurance): Chair recommended adopting amendments (including a 20-day cancellation-notice limit for certain items, keeping nonrenewal notice at 30 days, retention of a 10-day notice for nonpayment, and restricting the bill to real-property insurance); recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed with amendments.

- SB1369 SD1 (Title 24, Hawaii Revised Statutes housekeeping): Chair recommended insertion of a clean date; recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed with amendments.

- SB385 SD1 (condominiums): Chair recommended that electronic copies of governing documents be provided free upon request, allow charging for paper copies up to reasonable costs, conform HRS 514B-154.5, define governing documents (declarations, bylaws, CC&Rs and house rules) and amend language to "amended and/or restated"; recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed with amendments.

- SB140 SD2 HD1 (invasive species): Chair recommended passing the measure as is; recommendation adopted. Outcome: passed unamended.

What lawmakers and witnesses emphasized

- Free electronic access for condo governing documents: Multiple witnesses urged free electronic access for owners and aligned access for authorized agents, with reasonable charges allowed for paper copies. Several speakers noted some associations use third-party portals (TownSq) or management-company websites and that website costs vary; one testifier recommended email delivery of electronic documents if a dedicated website is not available.

- Prior authorization changes and reporting: Stakeholders including the Hawaii Medical Association and insurers offered support and comments on SB1449. The Hawaii Association of Health Plans asked that required reporting align with forthcoming CMS regulations and offered to continue stakeholder discussions.

- Invasive-species transport controls: State natural-resources and agriculture officials and conservation groups urged statutory language to allow enforcement of heat-treatment standards for firewood and to prevent movement and sale of infested materials.

Next steps

The committee adopted the chair's recommendations and recorded final actions on the bills listed above. Several measures were advanced with committee amendments and will proceed through the legislative process with the changes adopted at this hearing. The meeting adjourned after the final vote on SB140.