# Hawaii HB 1838: RELATING TO VISAS.

Hawaii HB 1838, RELATING TO VISAS., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2) House bill sponsored by Greggor Ilagan (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-24 (Act 142, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1243).) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1838-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii HB 1838
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2)
- Title: RELATING TO VISAS.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-01-22
- Last action: 2026-06-24, Act 142, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1243).
- Sponsor: Greggor Ilagan (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 13
- Subjects: U or T Visa Certification, Uniform Statewide Requirements, Certifying Entities, Certifying Officials, Policies and Processes, Training, JDC, WAM
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 11 (225 yes, 3 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

Establishes uniform statewide requirements for policies and processes for the issuance of U and T visa certifications for noncitizen victims of crime that are consistent with federal laws and regulations governing U and T visas. Requires each state and county certifying entity to adopt a policy and process for the issuance of U and T visa certifications, consistent with those statewide requirements. Appropriates funds for the Department of the Attorney General to provide training to certifying entities and certifying officials on all federal and state requirements for U and T visa certifications. Effective 3/22/2075. (SD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Court appeals for visa certification denials: benefit, low. A person can ask a Hawaii circuit court for a fresh review within 90 days after a qualifying denial or missed response deadline. This review does not apply to decisions by a state court, judge, or judicial officer. If the court finds the person was a qualifying crime victim, met the certification r…
- Fairer visa certification for crime victims: benefit, low. State and county entities must publish written policies, name an official to handle requests, and make the process accessible to people with limited English. Officials must decide within 45 calendar days, or 14 days when a person is in federal removal, exclusion, or deportation proceedings, has a f…
- Privacy protections for visa applicants: benefit, low. Hawaii certifying entities must keep the immigration status and identifying information of people requesting U or T visa certification confidential. They may disclose it when federal law or a court order requires disclosure, or when the victim gives written consent under the listed federal protecti…
- Training for officials handling visa requests: benefit, low. The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General must train certifying entities and officials on state and federal U and T visa rules. The training must use specified national curricula.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Greggor Ilagan (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Terez Amato (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Della Au Belatti (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Joe Gedeon (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Ikaika Hussey (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kim Coco Iwamoto (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Matthias Kusch (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lisa Marten (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Ikaika Olds (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mahina Poepoe (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Julie Reyes Oda (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Jackson D. Sayama (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Garner M. Shimizu (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Kanani Souza (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-05-06 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 50 | 1 |   |
| 2026-04-30 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 2 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-30 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-10 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 25 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-07 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The... | pass | 12 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-27 | Senate | The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-05 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 48 | 1 |   |
| 2026-03-02 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 16 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-13 | House | The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 7 | 1 |   |
| 2026-02-11 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA... | pass | 50 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-06 | House | The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 7 | 0 |   |

## Actions (53)

- 2026-06-24: Act 142, 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1243). (Senate)
- 2026-06-24: Act 142, on 06/24/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1243). (House)
- 2026-05-08: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888). (Senate)
- 2026-05-07: Transmitted to Governor. (House)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with Representative(s) Kila voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and none excused (0). (House)
- 2026-05-06: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 144-26) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 144-26). (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26 (Senate)
- 2026-04-30: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Tarnas, Hussey, Tam, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-04-30: The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Elefante; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Awa. (Senate)
- 2026-04-29: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-30-26 3:40PM; CR 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-28: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-29-26 3:40PM; Conference Room 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-27: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-28-26 3:40PM; Conference Room 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-24: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-27-26 3:40PM; Conference Room 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-23: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 725). (House)
- 2026-04-23: Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-24-26 3:40PM; Conference Room 325. (Senate)
- 2026-04-22: Senate Conferees Appointed: Rhoads Chair; Elefante Co-Chair; Awa. (Senate)
- 2026-04-20: House Conferees Appointed: Ilagan, Tarnas, Hussey Co-Chairs; Tam, Gedeon. (House)
- 2026-04-20: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786). (Senate)
- 2026-04-16: Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 599). (Senate)
- 2026-04-14: House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). (House)
- 2026-04-10: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2026-04-10: Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 532) in amended form (SD 1). (House)
- 2026-04-09: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3644) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-04-09: One Day Notice 04-10-26. (Senate)
- 2026-04-07: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C.. (Senate)
- 2026-04-02: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-07-26 10:31AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Reported from JDC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3346) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-30: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-27: 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, Gabbard, Chang; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Awa. (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: Re-Referred to JDC, WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-23: The committee(s) on JDC has scheduled a public hearing on 03-27-26 10:00AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-03-10: Referred to JDC/GVO, WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 54). (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 778-26), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2026-03-05: Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2026-03-02: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Alcos; Noes: none; and Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-02-27: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Monday, 03-02-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-02-20: Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 741-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN. (House)
- 2026-02-20: Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with Representative(s) Garcia voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1). (House)
- 2026-02-13: The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Kahaloa, Sayama, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran, Takayama. (House)
- 2026-02-11: Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 151-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA. (House)
- 2026-02-11: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Holt excused (1). (House)
- 2026-02-11: Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Friday, 02-13-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-02-06: The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Holt, Tam, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-02-02: Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 02-06-26 8:30AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-01-26: Referred to ECD, JHA, FIN, referral sheet 1 (House)
- 2026-01-23: Introduced and Pass First Reading. (House)
- 2026-01-22: Pending introduction. (House)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_CD1_.pdf)
- HB1838_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_CD1_.HTM)
- HB1838_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_HD1_.HTM)
- HB1838_HD2: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_HD2_.HTM)
- HB1838_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_SD1_.HTM)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1243_.PDF)

## Related bills

- SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS. (became law)
- SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES. (signed)
- HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- SB 2964: RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_CD1_.pdf)
- [HB1838_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_CD1_.HTM)
- [HB1838_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_HD1_.HTM)
- [HB1838_HD2 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_HD2_.HTM)
- [HB1838_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_SD1_.HTM)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB1838_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1243_.PDF)

## Related
- [SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB847-2026)
- [SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2338-2026)
- [HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2344-2026)
- [HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2023-2026)
- [HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2021-2026)
- [SB 2964: RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2964-2026)
- [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-HB1838-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).