# Hawaii HB 1179: RELATING TO RURAL EMERGENCY HOSPITALS.

Hawaii HB 1179, RELATING TO RURAL EMERGENCY HOSPITALS., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1) House bill sponsored by Tyson K. Miyake (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-30 (Act 144, 05/30/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1244).); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1179-2025
- As of: 2026-10-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii HB 1179
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1)
- Title: RELATING TO RURAL EMERGENCY HOSPITALS.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-22
- Last action: 2025-05-30, Act 144, 05/30/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1244).
- Sponsor: Tyson K. Miyake (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Subjects: DOH, Rural Emergency Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Licensure, Medicaid, HHS, CPN/WAM
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 12 (228 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

Creates a framework for the licensure of rural emergency hospitals at the state level by the Department of Health. Clarify Medicaid reimbursement policies for hospitals transitioning from a critical access hospital designation to a rural emergency hospital designation. (CD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Rural hospitals can seek emergency licenses: benefit, low. Hawaii’s Department of Health can license eligible hospitals as rural emergency hospitals. A hospital must have operated as a critical access hospital on December 27, 2020, choose the Medicare designation, and meet federal requirements. It must provide emergency care and stabilization with an avera…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Tyson K. Miyake (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Terez Amato (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Luke A. Evslin (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Andrew Takuya Garrett (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tina Nakada Grandinetti (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kirstin Kahaloa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jeanne Kapela (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Darius K. Kila (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lisa Kitagawa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Matthias Kusch (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: LAMOSAO
- Cosponsor: Nicole E. Lowen (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lisa Marten (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Scot Z. Matayoshi (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Ikaika Olds (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mahina Poepoe (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sean Quinlan (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kanani Souza (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Gregg Takayama (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jenna Takenouchi (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Adrian K. Tam (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Chris Todd (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Justin H. Woodson (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-30 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 49 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-24 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-24 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-08 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 25 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-02 | Senate | The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-02 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-17 | Senate | The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-28 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 47 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-21 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 12 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-12 | House | The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 7 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-04 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC... | pass | 48 | 0 |   |
| 2025-01-31 | House | The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 9 | 0 |   |

## Actions (49)

- 2025-05-30: Act 144, 05/30/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1244). (Senate)
- 2025-05-30: Act 144, on 05/30/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1244). (House)
- 2025-05-02: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 821). (Senate)
- 2025-05-01: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 888). (House)
- 2025-05-01: Transmitted to Governor. (House)
- 2025-04-30: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-04-30: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Pierick excused (2). (House)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 155) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2025-04-25: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 04-30-25. (House)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 155). (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 04-30-25 (Senate)
- 2025-04-24: The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Keohokalole, DeCoite; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella. (Senate)
- 2025-04-24: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Chun, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Miyake, Alcos; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2025-04-23: Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-24-25 3:16PM in conference room 329. (House)
- 2025-04-22: Senate Conferees Appointed: San Buenaventura Chair; Keohokalole, DeCoite Co-Chairs; Fevella. (Senate)
- 2025-04-22: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 859). (House)
- 2025-04-15: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 732). (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: House Conferees Appointed: Takayama, Chun, Keohokapu-Lee Loy Co-Chairs; Miyake, Alcos. (House)
- 2025-04-11: Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 704). (Senate)
- 2025-04-10: House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). (House)
- 2025-04-08: Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 748) in amended form (SD 2). (House)
- 2025-04-04: Reported from CPN/WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1819) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). (Senate)
- 2025-04-04: 48 Hrs. Notice 04-08-25. (Senate)
- 2025-04-02: The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in CPN were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fukunaga, McKelvey, Richards, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-04-02: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, Aquino, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: The committee(s) on CPN/WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-02-25 10:00AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: Reported from HHS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1243) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to CPN/WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to CPN/WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: The committee(s) on HHS recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HHS were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Aquino, Hashimoto, Keohokalole, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-03-11: The committee(s) on HHS has scheduled a public hearing on 03-17-25 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 157). (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Referred to HHS, CPN/WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-02-28: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 956), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2025-02-28: Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Pierick, Templo, Ward excused (4). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2025-02-21: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 12 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 4 Excused: Representative(s) Holt, Lee, M., Alcos, Ward. (House)
- 2025-02-19: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Friday, 02-21-25 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-02-14: Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 670), recommending referral to FIN. (House)
- 2025-02-14: Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4). (House)
- 2025-02-12: The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Chun, Ilagan, Ichiyama, Iwamoto, Kong, Marten, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Lowen, Tam. (House)
- 2025-02-10: Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Wednesday, 02-12-25 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-02-04: Reported from HLT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 69) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC. (House)
- 2025-02-04: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kong, Ward excused (3). (House)
- 2025-01-31: The committee on HLT recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Takayama, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Amato, Chun, Marten, Olds, Takenouchi, Alcos, Garcia; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none. (House)
- 2025-01-29: Bill scheduled to be heard by HLT on Friday, 01-31-25 9:15AM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-01-27: Referred to HLT, CPC, FIN, referral sheet 4 (House)
- 2025-01-23: Introduced and Pass First Reading. (House)
- 2025-01-22: Pending introduction. (House)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_CD1_.pdf)
- HB1179_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_CD1_.HTM)
- HB1179_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_HD1_.HTM)
- HB1179_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_SD1_.HTM)
- HB1179_SD2: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_SD2_.HTM)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1244_.PDF)

## Related bills

- HB 431: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION. (signed)
- SB 1044: RELATING TO THE STABILIZATION OF PROPERTY INSURANCE. (signed)
- SB 1231: RELATING TO PARENTAGE. (signed)
- SB 935: RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. (signed)
- HB 703: RELATING TO KUPUNA HOUSING. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_CD1_.pdf)
- [HB1179_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_CD1_.HTM)
- [HB1179_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_HD1_.HTM)
- [HB1179_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_SD1_.HTM)
- [HB1179_SD2 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_SD2_.HTM)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB1179_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1244_.PDF)

## Related
- [HB 431: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB431-2025)
- [HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1064-2025)
- [SB 1044: RELATING TO THE STABILIZATION OF PROPERTY INSURANCE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1044-2025)
- [SB 1231: RELATING TO PARENTAGE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1231-2025)
- [SB 935: RELATING TO GOVERNMENT.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB935-2025)
- [HB 703: RELATING TO KUPUNA HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB703-2025)
- [Hawaii bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii/bills)
- [Hawaii state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1179-2025 (as of 2026-10-27).