From the first bill to the signing ceremony.
How the 2026 package moved through the Hawaiʻi Legislature — 40+ bills, 3,852 testimonies, one Lobby Day, six signatures — and the people who carried it every step of the way.
How six bills became law
How the 2026 package moved through the Hawaiʻi Legislature — and where it goes next. Every stage carried by community power.
The session opens — 40+ bills introduced
Across the six CIJ priority areas: protected community locations, noncooperation with federal immigration enforcement, the TRUTH Act, fair sentencing, U and T visa certification, and language access.
Crossover — 23 bills
Cleared their originating chamber and crossed to the other side of the Capitol.
Lobby Day at the Capitol
Advocates from every island met legislators face to face — the campaign’s message carried from community halls into committee rooms.
19 bills passed both chambers
Passed the House and the Senate — on to conference committee, where the final package took shape.
Final Reading — six bills
The six-bill package passed Final Reading in both chambers and went to the Governor.
Signed into law
Governor Josh Green signed all six — Acts 141, 142, 143, 161, 162, and 179, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2026.
- June 24 — Act 141 (SB 2057), Act 142 (HB 1838), Act 143 (HB 1548)
- June 25 — Act 161 (HB 1839), Act 162 (HB 1870)
- June 26 — Act 179 (SB 3238)
The signing ceremony at the Capitol
Governor Green, legislators, and the coalition marked the new laws at a signing ceremony — called some of the strongest immigrant justice laws in the nation.
Rollout
Act 162’s deadline: every state and county agency operating a protected community location must have its written policy adopted and posted. The laws are on the books — implementation is the work ahead.
Community power, by the numbers
Powering the six bills that reached the Governor's desk.
Lobby Day at the Capitol
Advocates from across the islands filled the Capitol — meeting legislators face to face, sharing stories, and carrying the campaign’s message from community halls into committee rooms. This is what those 3,852 testimonies looked like in person.
The signing ceremony
Signed into law on June 24–26, the six Acts were marked with a signing ceremony at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol in July 2026 — Governor Josh Green, legislators, and the coalition together, for laws called some of the strongest immigrant justice laws in the nation.
Champions of the 2026 session
Across the six bills, these organizations and community members showed up most often — testifying, organizing, and refusing to let due process become optional.
Mahalo nui loa.
To every individual who took time out of their day — sometimes again and again, on multiple bills — to write testimony, attend a hearing, make a phone call, or speak truth to power: thank you. 305 unique community members made their voices heard on these bills, and every single voice mattered.
To our 60 partner organizations — from The Legal Clinic, ACLU of Hawaiʻi, and Roots Reborn / EPA Maui, who showed up on every bill, to faith communities, labor unions, public defenders, language access advocates, and grassroots groups across every island — you are the coalition. This victory is shared.
To the legislators who listened, who introduced these bills, carried them through committee, and voted yes on Final Reading — and to the Governor who signed them: mahalo for choosing the side of due process and dignity. To the staff who answered our emails late at night and tracked amendments through conference committee: we see you.
And to those still living in fear of federal enforcement, of family separation, of being criminalized for who you are or where you came from: this work is for you. The session is over. The work isn't. We will keep showing up.
The session is over. The work isn’t.
Six laws to read, and a Roadshow bringing them back to every island.
