# Hawaii HB 126: RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE.

Hawaii HB 126, RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1) House bill sponsored by David A. Tarnas (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-07-03 (Act 288, 07/03/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1391).) (as of 2026-10-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB126-2025
- 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 126
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1)
- Title: RELATING TO PROPERTY FORFEITURE.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-14
- Last action: 2025-07-03, Act 288, 07/03/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1391).
- Sponsor: David A. Tarnas (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 11
- Subjects: Hawaii Omnibus Criminal Forfeiture Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture, Property Forfeiture, JDC, WAM
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 11 (230 yes, 10 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Increases transparency and accountability surrounding property forfeiture. Clarifies which property is subject to forfeiture. Amends the authorized disposition of forfeited property and the proceeds thereof. Requires the Attorney General to adopt rules necessary to carry out the purpose of the Hawaii Omnibus Criminal Forfeiture Act. Repeals language that requires the Hawaii Omnibus Criminal Forfeiture Act to be construed liberally. (CD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- More protections for property owners: benefit, medium. Property cannot be forfeited for a covered offense unless its owner is charged. If no charge is filed within one year after seizure, the property must be returned, unless it is contraband or otherwise unlawful. An owner can also prevent forfeiture by showing the conduct happened without their knowl…
- Online records of seized property: benefit, low. Hawaii agencies must record each seizure for forfeiture, including its legal basis, date, custodian, description, and estimated value. The records must be available for inspection and posted on a public website. Agencies and prosecutors also cannot send covered seized property to federal agencies,…
- New rules for forfeited property and money: mixed, low. Forfeited property goes to the attorney general, who handles its sale or other disposal. After sale and administrative costs, one quarter goes to the law enforcement unit involved, one quarter to the prosecutor, and one half to the criminal forfeiture fund; the former $3 million yearly cap is remov…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: David A. Tarnas (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Terez Amato (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Della Au Belatti (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tina Nakada Grandinetti (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kim Coco Iwamoto (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lisa Kitagawa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: LAMOSAO
- Cosponsor: Lisa Marten (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Amy A. Perruso (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mahina Poepoe (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kanani Souza (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Gregg Takayama (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-30 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 24 | 1 |   |
| 2025-04-30 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 47 | 3 |   |
| 2025-04-25 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-25 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-04 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 24 | 1 |   |
| 2025-03-28 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 11 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-18 | Senate | The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-04 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 45 | 4 |   |
| 2025-02-25 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-13 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN... | pass | 47 | 1 |   |
| 2025-02-05 | House | The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 10 | 0 |   |

## Actions (51)

- 2025-07-03: Act 288, 07/03/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1391). (Senate)
- 2025-07-03: Act 288, on 07/03/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1391). (House)
- 2025-06-06: Notice of Intent to veto dated 06/06/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1301) (Senate)
- 2025-06-06: Notice of intent to veto (Gov. Msg. No. 1301) (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, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) San Buenaventura. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Awa). Excused, 0 (none). (Senate)
- 2025-04-30: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Muraoka voting no (3) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1). (House)
- 2025-04-25: 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) Rhoads, Kanuha, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 3 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Kitagawa, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 231) 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. 231). (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 04-30-25 (Senate)
- 2025-04-24: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 04-25-25 2:15PM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-23: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-24-25 2:15PM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-22: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-23-25 2:15PM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-21: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-22-25 2:05PM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-17: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Monday 04-21-25 2:05PM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-16: Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Thursday, 04-17-25 3:46PM in conference room 325. (House)
- 2025-04-15: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 732). (Senate)
- 2025-04-15: Senate Conferees Appointed: Rhoads Chair; Kanuha Co-Chair; Fevella. (Senate)
- 2025-04-15: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 790). (House)
- 2025-04-14: House Conferees Appointed: Tarnas, Kitagawa Co-Chairs; Shimizu. (House)
- 2025-04-10: Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 621). (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). (House)
- 2025-04-04: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Awa). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2025-04-04: Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 568) in amended form (SD 2). (House)
- 2025-04-02: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1527) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). (Senate)
- 2025-04-02: 48 Hrs. Notice 04-04-25. (Senate)
- 2025-03-28: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 11 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, Aquino, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C., Fevella. (Senate)
- 2025-03-25: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 03-28-25 10:02AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: Reported from JDC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1238) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in JDC were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Chang, San Buenaventura; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Gabbard, Awa. (Senate)
- 2025-03-12: The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing on 03-18-25 9:45AM; CR 016 & Videoconference (Proposed Draft). (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 189). (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Referred to JDC, WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Matsumoto, Muraoka, Shimizu voting no (4) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2025-02-28: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1131), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2025-02-25: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 13 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Kusch, Reyes Oda, Ward. (House)
- 2025-02-21: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 02-25-25 12:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-02-13: Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 618) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN. (House)
- 2025-02-13: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kitagawa, Ward excused (3). (House)
- 2025-02-05: The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Kahaloa, Perruso, Takayama, Todd; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Garcia, Shimizu; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran. (House)
- 2025-01-31: Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Wednesday, 02-05-25 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-01-21: Referred to JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1 (House)
- 2025-01-16: Introduced and Pass First Reading. (House)
- 2025-01-14: Prefiled. (House)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_CD1_.pdf)
- HB126_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_CD1_.HTM)
- HB126_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_HD1_.HTM)
- HB126_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_SD1_.HTM)
- HB126_SD1_PROPOSED: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_SD1_PROPOSED_.HTM)
- HB126_SD2: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_SD2_.HTM)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1391_.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/HB126_CD1_.pdf)
- [HB126_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_CD1_.HTM)
- [HB126_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_HD1_.HTM)
- [HB126_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_SD1_.HTM)
- [HB126_SD1_PROPOSED (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_SD1_PROPOSED_.HTM)
- [HB126_SD2 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_SD2_.HTM)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB126_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1391_.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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB126-2025 (as of 2026-10-27).