# Hawaii SB 855: RELATING TO HAWAII RETIREMENT SAVINGS ACT.

Hawaii SB 855, RELATING TO HAWAII RETIREMENT SAVINGS ACT., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1) Senate bill sponsored by AQUINO; status signed, last action 2025-05-29 (Act 113, 05/29/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1213).); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-27).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB855-2025
- As of: 2026-10-27
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii SB 855
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 1)
- Title: RELATING TO HAWAII RETIREMENT SAVINGS ACT.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-01-17
- Last action: 2025-05-29, Act 113, 05/29/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1213).
- Sponsor: AQUINO
- Cosponsors: 7
- Subjects: DLIR, Hawaii Retirement Savings Act, Hawaii Retirement Savings Program, Covered Employer, Definition, Automatic Enrollment, Opt-Out Option, LAB, FIN
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 10 (202 yes, 7 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

Clarifies the definition of "covered employer" under the Hawaii Retirement Savings Act. Requires covered employers to automatically enroll covered employees into the Hawaii Retirement Savings Program unless the employee opts out. Repeals the limit on the total fees and expenses that can be spent for the Program each year. (CD1)

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Retirement plan employers avoid program rules: benefit, low. Employers are excluded from the program’s covered-employer rules if they offered or maintained a qualifying retirement plan for some or all employees at any time in the past two years. Qualifying plans include certain workplace retirement plans and simplified employee pensions.
- Workers face possible higher retirement fees: cost, low. The law removes the annual 0.75% cap on total program fees and expenses, including the exception for the program’s first three years. The program manager must still keep fees and expenses as low as practicable. Account costs may rise, but the law sets no new fee rate and does not require an increas…
- Workers get automatic retirement accounts: mixed, medium. The law takes effect July 1, 2025. Automatic enrollment begins on a date set by the board. Covered employers enroll private-sector workers who lack access to an employer retirement plan, and give them written notice of the right to opt out. Workers who stay enrolled have payroll contributions depos…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: AQUINO
- Cosponsor: Stanley Chang (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Kurt Fevella (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Michelle N. Kidani (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Donna Mercado Kim (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Sharon Y. Moriwaki (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Glenn Wakai (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-30 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 48 | 2 |   |
| 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 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 44 | 5 |   |
| 2025-04-01 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 14 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-13 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN... | pass | 47 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-11 | House | The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-19 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 22 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-12 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The... | pass | 13 | 0 |   |
| 2025-01-29 | Senate | The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |

## Actions (48)

- 2025-05-29: Act 113, 05/29/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1213). (Senate)
- 2025-05-29: Act 113, on 05/29/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1213). (House)
- 2025-05-02: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 821). (Senate)
- 2025-05-02: Enrolled to Governor. (Senate)
- 2025-05-01: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 888). (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; Representative(s) Garcia, Shimizu voting no (2) 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) Aquino, Inouye, 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) Sayama, Lee, M., Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 144). (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 04-30-25. (Senate)
- 2025-04-25: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 144) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2025-04-25: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 04-30-25. (House)
- 2025-04-24: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-25-25 10:15AM; Conference Room 016. (Senate)
- 2025-04-23: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-24-25 10:15AM; Conference Room 016. (Senate)
- 2025-04-22: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-23-25 10:15AM; Conference Room 016. (Senate)
- 2025-04-21: Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-22-25 10:16AM; Conference Room 016. (Senate)
- 2025-04-17: Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-21-25 10:15AM; Conference Room 016. (Senate)
- 2025-04-15: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 731). (Senate)
- 2025-04-15: Senate Conferees Appointed: Aquino Chair; Inouye Co-Chair; Fevella. (Senate)
- 2025-04-15: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 789). (House)
- 2025-04-14: House Conferees Appointed: Sayama, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Reyes Oda. (House)
- 2025-04-08: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 587). (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Senate disagrees with House amendments. (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 774). (House)
- 2025-04-04: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1962), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2025-04-04: Passed Third Reading with Representative(s) Reyes Oda voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Alcos, Garcia, Muraoka, Pierick, Shimizu voting no (5) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kapela excused (2). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2025-04-01: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Alcos. (House)
- 2025-03-28: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 04-01-25 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-03-13: Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1181) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN. (House)
- 2025-03-13: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Holt, Ward, Woodson excused (4). (House)
- 2025-03-11: The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Kong; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Reyes Oda. (House)
- 2025-03-06: Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 03-11-25 9:30AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2025-02-28: Referred to LAB, FIN, referral sheet 17 (House)
- 2025-02-27: Pass First Reading (House)
- 2025-02-19: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 1). Ayes, 22; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 3 (Senator(s) Gabbard, Kouchi, Richards). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2025-02-19: Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 9) in amended form (SD 1). (House)
- 2025-02-18: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 681) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading. (Senate)
- 2025-02-18: One Day Notice 02-19-25. (Senate)
- 2025-02-12: The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. 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)
- 2025-02-10: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-12-25 10:01AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-02-06: Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 56) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-02-06: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-01-29: The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Aquino, Lee, C., Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Moriwaki. (Senate)
- 2025-01-24: The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 01-29-25 3:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2025-01-23: Referred to LBT, WAM. (Senate)
- 2025-01-21: Passed First Reading. (Senate)
- 2025-01-17: Introduced. (Senate)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_CD1_.pdf)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1213_.PDF)
- SB855_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_CD1_.HTM)
- SB855_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_HD1_.HTM)
- SB855_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_SD1_.HTM)

## Related bills

- SB 572: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 431: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 420: RELATING TO REMEDIES. (signed)
- SB 1296: RELATING TO DISASTER RECOVERY. (signed)
- HB 830: RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS. (signed)
- HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_CD1_.pdf)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1213_.PDF)
- [SB855_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_CD1_.HTM)
- [SB855_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_HD1_.HTM)
- [SB855_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/SB855_SD1_.HTM)

## Related
- [SB 572: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB572-2025)
- [HB 431: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB431-2025)
- [HB 420: RELATING TO REMEDIES.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB420-2025)
- [SB 1296: RELATING TO DISASTER RECOVERY.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB1296-2025)
- [HB 830: RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB830-2025)
- [HB 1064: RELATING TO FIRE PROTECTION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB1064-2025)
- [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-SB855-2025 (as of 2026-10-27).