House Floor

Will the House come to order? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.

[Roll Call] Madam Speaker, all 50 Members are present.

Item number two, reading of the journal. Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, may this matter be deferred.

So ordered. Item number three. Messages from the Governor. Mr. Clerk, are there any messages from the Governor?

Madam speaker, there are none.

Item number four, Senate Communications. Mr. Clerk, are there any Senate communications?

Yes, Madam Speaker. We are in receipt of a communication transmitting the noted Senate Bill having passed third reading in the Senate.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, I move that the Senate bill's lay Bill laying on the Clerk's desk pass first reading by title.

Representative Garcia.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

It has been moved and seconded that the Senate Bill laying on the Clerk's title desk past first reading by title. We will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor, say I. All those opposed say no. The motion is carried. Said Senate Bill passes first reading. Members, any introductions? Representative La Chica.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In the gallery are a couple guests. Melissa Pavlic and Jake Gun. If you can please rise. They came by and just talk story on potential initiatives to strengthen our education system. So, welcome to your House of Representatives.

Any further introductions? Okay, we'll turn to the order of the day. Item number five, Reports of standing committees. Representative Kahaloa.

Madam Speaker, I move to adopt Standing Committee reports numbers 34126 through 47626 as listed on pages 1 through 36. And that the accompanying House bills, as may be amended, pass second reading and or be referred to their designated committees.

Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

Members, any discussion on these items beginning with Standing Committee report number 341-26. 342-26. Representative Pierick

Thank you. 341 no vote.

No vote on 341. Okay, we'll come back to that. Any discussion on standing Committee report 342. Okay, going back to 341. Representative Pierick.

No vote.

No vote, so ordered. Okay. Standing Committee Report 343-26, 344-26 245-26, 246-26. Representative Garcia with reservations so ordered. Representative Parrott. Reservations So ordered. Report 347-26, 348-26. 349-26. Representative Amato. Reservations so ordered. Report 350-26. 351-26, 352-26, 353-26, 354-26, 355-26. Representative Pierick.

No vote, so ordered. Report 356-26, 357-26. Representative Garcia. No vote, so ordered. Representative Matsumoto. Same request, so ordered. Representative Gideon. Same request, so ordered. Representative Muraoka.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

No vote, so ordered. Representative Alcos. No vote, so ordered. Representative Reyes, ODA with reservations, so ordered. Representative Pierick. No vote, so ordered. Representative Souza. Reservations so ordered. Standing Committee report 358 to 26. Representative Garcia. Reservations so ordered.

Representative Alcos. Same request, so ordered. Representative Reyes, oda. Reservations so ordered. Representative Pyrrick. No vote, so ordered. Report number 359. 26. Representative Pyrrick. No vote, so ordered 360-265-26. Representative Garcia, with reservations, so ordered. Representative Alkos and request so ordered. Representative Pierick.

Reservations so ordered. Report 366-26. Representative Garcia. No vote, so ordered. Representative Alcos. No vote, so ordered. Representative Pierick. No vote, so ordered. Representative Muraoka. Reservations so ordered.

Representative Matsumoto. Reservations so ordered. Representative Gideon. Same request, so ordered. Representative Reyes, OTA with the reservations so ordered. Representative Kila. Reservations so ordered.

Report 367-26. Representative Garcia.

Reservations so ordered.

Report number 368-26. Representative Garcia. No vote, so ordered. Representative Gideon.

No vote, with comment.

Please proceed.

I appreciate the the awareness that this bill brings to the issue of shallow water blackout and hypoxia. But as I've been a spear fisherman for over 20 years, I also have an extensive career in the print industry.

And I can tell you that even if you use a durable label, it will peel off in the water, the gear gets bumped up, and the label will eventually end up in the ocean or end in the belly of one of the fish. So that is my no vote.

[ROLL CALL]

This bill would expand government. So from a conservative framework, not a good Bill, but it also would expand the LGBTQ community affirmations in the state of Hawaii. Currently, that commission has eight Members. This bill wants to have it, make it 11 Members.

So if the goal is to make our kids gay or whatever it is, this bill is going to expand that. I'm voting no.

Standing Committee report 370. Representative Marten on 377?

in support.

I just wanted to mention that while we have so much trouble in many of our commissions getting quorum and getting people to show up, this particular commission has almost perfect attendance and they would just like to increase their representation. And I feel that's something to really celebrate that they have so much engagement.

Turning to standing Committee Report 378-26 379-26. [ROLL CALL]

Report 380-26. [ROLL CALL] Top of page 12, 381-26, 382-26. [ROLL CALL]

Report 383-26, 384-26, 385-26, 386-26, 387-26, 388- 26. [ROLL CALL] 389-26, 390-26, 391-26, 392-26, 393-26, 394-26, 395-26, 396-26. Top of Page 16. 397-26, 398-26. [ROLL CALL]

Report 399-26, 400-26, 401-26, 402-26, 403-26, 404-26, 405-26, 406-26, 407-26, 408-26, 409-26, 410-26, 411-26. [ROLL CALL] 412-26, 413-26. [ROLL CALL]

Top of page 20. 414-26, 415-26, 416-26. [ROLL CALL] Report number 417-26, 418-26, 419-26, 420-26, 421-26. [ROLL CALL] 422-26, 423-26, 424-26, 425-26. Top of page 23. 426-26. [ROLL CALL]

Report number 27-26, 28-26. [ROLL CALL] Top page 24. Report number 429- 26, 430-36, 431-36, 432-36, 433-36, 434-26, 435-26. [ROLL CALL] Report number 436-26.Report number 437-26.Report number 438-26, 439-26. [ROLL CALL] Report 440-26, 441-26. [ROLL CALL] Report number 442-26, 443-26, 444-26. [ROLL CALL]

Top of page 28. Report number 445-26. [ROLL CALL] Report number 446-26, 447-26, 448-26. [ROLL CALL] Report 449-26, 450-26. Next one. 451-26. [ROLL CALL] Report number 452-26. [ROLL CALL] Standing Committee Report 453-26. [ROLL CALL]

Please proceed.

You know, this Bill wants to speed up something that they don't even have a plan for yet. And you know, in the off, in the interim, I met with a contractor that installs septic tanks, and he couldn't understand why we want to replace leaking cesspools with the septic systems that are designed to leak.

For that, I'm in opposition.

[Roll Call]

Representative Pierrick.

In opposition.

Please proceed.

This Bill would make it basically to where if you're 14 years old and you want to have a sex change surgery, you'd be allowed to do that without mom or dad ever even knowing about it.

Potentially, if you're a kid that lives in Tennessee, Florida, or let's say Oklahoma, and you want to undergo that surgery, you could potentially fly to Hawaii, have that body part chopped off, new part sewn on. And then fly back to your home state. And that could open our state up to interstate litigation. I'm voting no.

Representative Quinlan.

Strong support, Madam Speaker.

Please proceed.

I'd like to say that I always appreciate the representative from Bethlehem's descriptive anatomical terms. However, there's nothing in this Bill about minors. This is about consenting adults seeking medical care and protecting those medical providers who provide that care.

Now, whatever some people may wish or want to think, transgender people will not suddenly stop existing if doctors stop providing gender affirming care. You can't wait to wish them away. They are a part of our communities. They are a part of our lives.

And here in Hawaii, our host culture has had a third gender since time immemorial, since before the first western colonizers ever came to these shores.

Representative Kahaloa.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In support.

Please proceed.

May I please adopt the words of our majority leader?

So ordered. Representative Perruso.

Same request.

So ordered. Representative Kapela.

Same request.

So ordered. Representative Tam.

Same request and a brief comment in support.

Please proceed.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to clear up some misconceptions about gender affirming care in that it is not automatic surgery. It oftentimes start—it starts with a lot of counseling and talk therapy before anything invasive. So, the notion that someone can just fly to Hawaii and automatically get surgery is nonsense.

Second, what this Bill does is that it provides some protections for our medical professionals to practice evidence-based care for our patients.

And it also provides our patients with a lot of privacy protections so that their medical records can't just be subpoenaed in a different state simply because they receive some kind of gender affirming care like counseling in the state.

If you look at the members that support it and the organizations that supported this Bill, you, you'll see that they're almost all healthcare professionals. At the same time, Hawaii is facing a huge healthcare and medical professional shortage.

By providing these kind of protections to those that are practicing evidence-based care, we'll be able to provide some kind of incentive for them not to leave the state and practice elsewhere. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Representative Marten.

In strong support and I'd like to adopt the words of the Tourism Chair as if they were my own.

So ordered. Representative Amato.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In support and I would like to please adopt the words of the honorable representative from Waikiki, as well as the words of the honorable representative from the North Shore and our majority leader.

So ordered. Representative La Chica.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Same request.

So ordered.

Brief comment.

Please proceed.

Gender affirming care is reproductive health care. Our reproductive health providers are already protected under this law. We should extend the same protection to our providers for gender affirming health care as well.

Representative Reyes Oda.

With reservations.

So ordered. Representative Garcia.

In opposition.

Just to clarify, this Bill is in addition to Act 2, which passed in 2023, and then Act 2 was specifically allowing minors to access abortion care without parental consent. So, this just expands the services to include gender affirming care.

Representative Kila.

Reservations, and may I adopt the words of the majority leader as if they were my own?

So ordered. Representative Souza.

Reservations and same requests.

So ordered. Representative Pierick.

In opposition.

It was said earlier that gender affirming care is reproductive care. That's inaccurate. The only way for that to be possible is let's say somebody's biologically male, assumes they're a female, then there's a biological female who assumes she's a male and they have sex and have kids, then sure, then it's reproductive health care.

But they're both, you know, experiencing gender dysphoria about each other, and that's the only way to procreate with gender affirming care. All the other categories, if you undergo sex change surgery, you're no longer fertile. If you are two gay men, you can't reproduce a baby. If you're two lesbian girls, you can't reproduce a baby.

So, the statement gender affirming care is reproductive health care is inaccurate.

Representative Takayama.

Madam Speaker, in support.

Please proceed.

This Bill simply ensures that individuals can access and deliver health services without fear of discrimination, harassment, or legal retaliation. This measure protects our people, visitors, and healthcare providers from out of state efforts to punish them for undergoing or performing gender affirming procedures. We already provide the same protection for reproductive services.

The intent behind this measure and the 2023 law we passed as Act 2 represents the compassion and dignity for others that is an essential part of Hawaii's spirit. For those reasons, I ask Members to support this measure. Thank you.

Representative Keohokapu-Lee Loy.

Thank you, Madam speaker. In support and may I have the words of our Health Chair adopted as if they were my own?

So ordered.

Representative Hartsfield.

In strong support. And if I can just make a brief comment.

Please proceed.

In strong support because this Bill will save lives and, and we protect the people of Hawaii. And as stated at the Committee hearing, we are a state of aloha, and I don't want to see a death occur because of a lack to medical services that is provided by law. Thank you.

Representative Belatti.

Thank you. In strong support. May I have the words of the Majority Leader and the Health Committee Chair adopted as if they were my own?

So ordered.

A brief rebuttal from—to the comments of the representative, I believe from Eva Beach.

I believe, you know, the prescribing of Viagra, you know, assisting with erectile dysfunction, is a gender affirming care process that would be protected under this Bill. And so, that is reproductive health care. Think it falls under this. So, I support this measure. Thank you.

Representative Alcos.

Mr. Speaker, in opposition.

Please proceed.

You know, we should care for everyone. It's not just, you know, transgender or any different gender, we believe that there's a male and female. We should have medical care and we do have medical care for everyone.

This Bill is looking at transgender and trying to focus on them, but there's so many different other people. If we want to continue pushing this on for the Hawaiians or maybe different races, then we can go out and care for them more and then it's going to open more different areas.

But what I'm saying is that we should be already caring for the people of what their needs are. And I can't see why we specifically. introducing this area and what, what can—what needs they're not getting already that we should be providing that they have right now. So, anyway, I'm just in opposition of this Bill. Thank you.

Representative Todd.

Thank you. In support.

Please proceed.

I just wanted to point out that a vast majority of gender affirming care performed on minors, on the surgical side of things, is for straight cisgender men who are getting breast reduction surgery. And it's an overwhelming majority of those procedures, as high as 95 to 97%. Thank you.

Representative Kusch.

Thank you, Speaker. In strong support.

Please proceed.

I think it's important to stay on message with this Bill that it is serving healthcare providers, providing protection to them. And you take away the ideological side of it, we provide health care to prisoners, to murderers, to good people, to different religions, without any regard to that.

And I think it's important that we protect our health care providers and that's what this Bill does. It protects them from outside sources who may use political ideology to target them. And I think that's fundamentally wrong and we need to protect all of our healthcare providers. Thank you.

Okay, Members, if there's no further discussion, we will be taking a voice vote. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say no. The motion is carried. Item number six, introduction of resolutions. Mr. Clerk, are there any resolutions for action?

Madam Speaker. There are no resolutions for action. May all others be referred to print.

So ordered. Item number seven, Announcements. Members, are there any announcements? Okay. Seeing none. Representative Morikawa.

Madam Speaker, I move that this House stand adjourned until 12 o'clock noon tomorrow.

Representative Garcia.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed say no. The motion is carried. The House stands adjourned until 12 o' clock noon tomorrow.