Commission on Status of Women urges Attorney General be named to working group on image-based abuse

The House Committee on Finance on April 8 recommended HCR93 HD1 / HR85 HD1 pass with amendments to establish a legislative working group examining prevention, intervention and protections for survivors of image-based sexual abuse.

Yasmin Chaney, testifying for the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, told the committee the commission supports the resolution but urged the addition of the Department of the Attorney General to the working group because the commission “does not have the necessary expertise to identify policy enhancements adapted from other states to be incorporated into Hawaii law.” Chaney noted prior session statutes (Act 157 and Act 156 in 2023) had named the Attorney General as a member and said AG involvement ensured findings could be operationalized and would “stand up to legal scrutiny.”

Committee members accepted most of the technical revisions proposed by the chair, who summarized amendments that remove language requiring the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to participate as a standing working-group member while preserving the LRB’s role to provide drafting services if requested prior to Oct. 1, 2027. The chair also said the committee would request the Attorney General provide legal guidance and administrative support to the working group in the resolve clause.

With those changes, the committee’s recommendation to pass with amendments was adopted. The committee record noted written support from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and other organizations and individuals.

Next steps: the amended resolution will be reported out of committee. The measure’s text as amended specifies membership changes and a path for LRB drafting support; the committee did not set a final report deadline in the hearing record published at the time of the vote.