House Bill 1118, which is part of the Gov. Josh Green's legislative package, was recommitted to the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs on Tuesday, March 4. The measure that would bar new religious exemptions to vaccines in Hawai’i schools was previously headed to the Senate for crossover this month after its passage on Feb. 28.
In other words: HB1118 is dead for this session.
At the Tuesday hearing, Rep. Diamond Garcia said, “Thank you for doing the right thing to send this bill back to committee. Why I’m supporting this recommittal is because there were over 2,000 pieces of public testimony submitted against this bill and just over 100 in support. The people of Hawai’i have spoken.”
Aloha State Daily recently analyzed countless pages of testimony as of Feb. 21, confirming that about 1,643 people opposed the bill, while 75 people testified in support. We also noticed educators and health care professionals on both sides of the issue.
“There were indeed thousands of pieces of testimony in opposition to the bill,” Rep. Gregg Takayama said at Tuesday’s hearing. “To me, the strong message was that there were many, many people who misunderstand the importance of vaccinations to our communities and our Islands.
“I call on the Governor to speak out on the importance of protecting our children, who are most at risk of contracting potentially fatal diseases,” he continued.
Now, nearly halfway through the 2025 legislative session, Green could call a special session later this year at which such bills could get revisited.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
