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Committee advances youth‑penalties reform, defers broader curfew expansion after objections
Summary
The committee passed HB 1626 to eliminate fines and fees for minors with amendments and set a delayed effective date for implementation; it deferred HB 1690, a proposal to expand the statewide curfew to under‑18, after objections from the Public Defender, judiciary and Office of Youth Services.
On Feb. 12 the House Committee on Human Services advanced HB 1626, a comprehensive youth‑penalties reform bill that would prohibit assessment of fines, fees and court costs against minors during minority and expand use of community‑based, culturally grounded alternatives. The committee also heard HB 1690, which would raise the statewide curfew age to under 18, but deferred that measure following broad opposition.
The Office of the Public Defender strongly supported HB 1626, calling it a cleaner, equity‑based approach that removes monetary penalties which disproportionately burden low‑income youth. "Most of our kids that we work with... they don't have any money," the public defender’s representative said, urging the committee to adopt restorative, community‑based programs instead of assessments that create long‑term debt.
Multiple advocacy organizations and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs gave strong support; Ekolumea Nui highlighted work to expand culturally based community service opportunities. The judiciary testified it had collaborated with drafters and did not oppose the evidence‑based reforms, but requested a delayed effective date to allow courts and electronic case systems to update processes. A family‑court judge explained district courts must reprogram automated fees and recommended an effective date of July 1, 2027 to accommodate system changes.
By contrast, HB 1690 to expand the curfew to under‑18 drew strong opposition from the Public Defender, the judiciary and the Office of Youth Services, which argued the bill would reintroduce criminalization into juvenile justice and risk loss of federal funding. The committee deferred HB 1690 to allow further discussion and to avoid actions that could run counter to decades of juvenile justice reform.
The committee adopted Department of Education clarifying amendments for HB 1626, recommended inserting an effective date of July 1, 2027 in the committee report to allow systems work, and passed HB 1626 with amendments.
