House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs advances several bills on policing, juvenile justice, health care and tech

A House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs hearing on April 1, 2026, reviewed a broad package of bills covering policing practices, juvenile-sentence review, medical-cannabis access in facilities, drug-paraphernalia law, preventive-medicine insurance coverage, app-store age verification, crypto kiosk rules, condominium foreclosure income, smart-home device privacy and conversational artificial intelligence.

The committee, chaired by Representative David Tarnas, advanced several measures with technical amendments, deferred others and directed further work where judges, agencies and stakeholders flagged legal or operational gaps. Committee members repeatedly pressed witnesses about legal limits on state authority, possible conflicts with federal law and the practical mechanics of enforcement.

Why it matters: the bills would change rules that touch public safety, health-care access and consumer privacy across Hawaii — from how residents identify law enforcement to whether seniors can be protected from crypto kiosks scams, and how minors are shielded from harmful AI-driven interactions.

Key takeaways - SB 3322 (law-enforcement identification and limits on civil-immigration inquiries) drew sustained community testimony from the Office of the Public Defender, immigrant-rights advocates and civil-rights groups who said masks, plainclothes agents and unmarked vehicles have eroded trust. Chair Tarnas moved the bill forward with amendments at decision-making. “Transparency, visibility, all of those things that this bill addresses are critical,” said Hailey Chang of the Office of the Public Defender.

- Multiple juvenile-justice measures prompted…