2026 Post-Session Policy Update: Big Wins for Public Health

2026 Post-Session Policy Update: Big Wins for Public Health

The 2026 Hawaiʻi legislative session has officially concluded, marking the end of months of advocacy focused on creating healthier communities across our state. This year’s session brought progress on a wide range of public health priorities, including several transformative measures that successfully passed the legislature.

This session demonstrated growing momentum around policies that address chronic disease prevention, food security, climate resilience, tobacco prevention, transportation access, and health programming. While not every priority crossed the finish line, we secured important victories and elevated urgent conversations that will improve the health of Hawaiʻi for generations to come.

Tobacco Prevention and Control

This year, the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaiʻi (CTFH) achieved two landmark victories in addressing the youth vaping epidemic. First, the legislature passed SB 2175, which ends the sale of disposable electronic smoking devices. The measure generated substantial discussion regarding the environmental and health risks associated with disposable e-cigarettes, including toxic waste, lithium-ion battery pollution, and nicotine addiction. 

Additionally, CTFH supported and lawmakers passed HB 1573, which prohibits the sale of e-cigarette products that are not federally authorized by the FDA. The bill will remove hundreds of e-cigarette products from local markets, including fruit and candy flavored e-cigarettes, and it highlights the widespread availability of illegal vaping products that are advertised to youth.  

Though proposals to restore the counties’ authority to regulate e-cigarettes did not become law this year, these two victories will have a meaningful impact on protecting the public, and especially our keiki, from the harms of the tobacco industry. 

Healthy Eating + Active Living

The Healthy Eating + Active Living (HEAL) Coalition continued its longstanding push for policies that improve nutrition access, affordability, transportation access, and family wellness. This year, the coalition secured significant wins for food security across our island home. 

HEAL supported efforts to strengthen SNAP enrollment for vulnerable populations. Two of the coalition’s SNAP priorities were passed by legislators. SB 3245 will streamline enrollment for kūpuna, eliminating unnecessary barriers to SNAP access for our state’s aging population and easing the workload for program administrators. 

HEAL also helped to pass HB 1518, which improves SNAP and TANF benefit access for individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community, by allowing them to enroll before they are released, rather than needing to apply after release. The bill also ensures that people with substance use convictions are given full access to these essential programs regardless of whether they are able to enroll in treatment programs.

Lawmakers further included $898,000 in the state budget (HB 1800) for farm-to-families programming, supporting local farmers and food banks in meeting critical hunger needs. 

One of the coalition’s top priorities this year was expanding free public transportation access for youth through HB 1879 and SB 2699. Although these measures did not become law, they passed multiple committees and gained support from numerous community organizations, youth advocates, and the public, laying groundwork for future campaigns to strengthen transportation access for Hawaiʻi’s keiki.

HEAL similarly advocated for a sugary drink fee through HB 2146 and SB 2458. The proposals would have generated dedicated funding for programs that support public health, while reducing chronic disease rates associated with excessive sugar consumption. Although the legislation did not advance this year, the campaign successfully elevated public awareness about the health and economic impacts of sugary beverages.

Additional coalition priorities that did not cross the finish line included consumer protection measures such as HB 2458, addressing abusive surveillance pricing practices on groceries, and paid family leave proposals like HB 2360 to support working families caring for newborns or family members with serious health conditions. Both of these measures were passed by the State House this year, showing strong momentum for future efforts. 

Oral Health

Improving access to quality dental care remained a central priority for the Hawaiʻi Oral Health Coalition (HOHC) this session. The coalition supported HB 1671, which would have allowed dental hygienists to perform interim therapeutic restorations under the supervision of a licensed dentist. The proposal aimed to improve access to early cavity treatment, particularly in underserved and rural communities.

The measure passed the House, but was not heard by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Although the bill did not become law this session, it advanced important conversations about preventive dental care access statewide. 

Alcohol Policy

The Hawaiʻi Alcohol Policy Alliance (HIAPA) continued its work to reduce alcohol-related harm throughout the state. The coalition’s top priority, HB 1991, proposed modernizing Hawaiʻi’s liquor tax structure to account for inflation. Advocates emphasized that excessive alcohol consumption costs Hawai‘i approximately $1 billion each year. The state’s liquor tax has not been adjusted for inflation since 1998, eroding both its public health impact and its value as a revenue source. The measure passed the House, but was not heard by the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism. 

HIAPA also supported SB 2463, which would lower Hawaiʻi’s legal blood alcohol concentration limit for driving from 0.08 to 0.05. Research consistently shows that impairment begins well below the current legal threshold, and lowering BAC limits has been associated with reductions in alcohol-related traffic fatalities internationally and in other jurisdictions. The bill passed the Senate, but was not heard by the House Judiciary Committee. Yet, advocates remain committed to pursuing policies that improve roadway safety and save lives.

Climate Health and Resilience

The Climate Change and Health Working Group (CCHWG) supported policies that protect community health in the face of growing climate-related threats. This year’s top priority for the group, HB 1803, focused on protecting students from heat-related illness by requiring the Board of Education to adopt heat acclimatization policies for school athletic activities and other outdoor programs. The bill reflected growing concerns about the impact of extreme heat on student health and safety. The measure passed the House, but was not heard by the Senate Committee on Education. CCHWG remains committed to supporting policies that connect climate adaptation and school safety. 

CCHWG also supported HB 1618, which successfully passed this session. The proposal establishes a new loan program to help homeowners convert cesspools to more environmentally protective wastewater systems. Hawaiʻi has tens of thousands of cesspools statewide, many of which leak untreated sewage into groundwater, streams, and coastal ecosystems, threatening both environmental and public health. The high cost of conversion has created a major barrier for many local families, particularly in rural and neighbor island communities. By expanding access to financial assistance, HB 1618 represents an important step toward protecting drinking water, improving climate resilience, and supporting healthier communities across Hawaiʻi.

CCHWG also partnered with the newly formed Oʻahu HEAL Coalition to support resolutions about expanding tree canopy coverage to address urban heat islands. Both SCR 129 and HCR 103 passed the House and Senate, laying the groundwork for further initiatives calling for expanded tree canopies to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures. 

Revenue Generation and Civil Rights 

In addition to proposals sponsored by its core programs, HIPHI supported a number of bills to strengthen revenue generation, civil liberties, and democratic governance. To address major budget shortfalls that faced our state as the session began, we supported a broad array of revenue-related bills. Chief among them was SB 3125, the key proposal passed by lawmakers to fill budget deficits. Among other details, the bill repeals a portion of income tax cuts for the state’s highest income earners, taxes them at a higher rate in future years, and preserves tax cuts for working families. These changes to the income tax code are expected to raise over $622 million to stabilize the state’s social safety net over the next five years, with additional savings coming from new restrictions on industrial tax credits. HIPHI also supported a proposal to increase the child care tax credit that was contained in the original version of SB3125 and HB 2007, and an additional tax credit for caregivers of aging kūpuna that was expressed in HB 1972. These ideas ultimately did not pass, but made it to conference committee and will be pursued again next year.

HIPHI also successfully supported measures that secure civil rights for our state’s LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. HB 1875 safeguards access to gender-affirming care in Hawaiʻi. HB 1870 establishes immigration protections at schools, health clinics, courthouses, and social service agencies. In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security rescinded prior guidance protecting sensitive areas, authorizing unrestricted immigration enforcement in these locations. HB 1870 ensures that these locations remain safe spaces where people can access care and services without fear. Both measures were passed by lawmakers before the session concluded. 

Finally, HIPHI supported several measures to strengthen government transparency and election integrity. The most important of these is SB 2471, which directly addresses the Citizens United ruling that unleashed unlimited corporate spending in public elections. This bill bars all corporations from political spending. The bill does this by asserting that corporations are “artificial persons” created under state law, whose powers do not include the ability to spend money to influence elections. The measure received near unanimous support in the House and Senate and was signed into law as Act 11 on May 14. 

Looking Ahead

The 2026 legislative session demonstrated both the urgency of today’s public health challenges and the growing movement to address them. Every hearing, coalition meeting, and community conversation helped build momentum for lasting change. While important work remains, this year brought us closer to a Hawaiʻi where health and well-being are treated not as privileges, but as fundamental rights.