Bill > SB116

This bill establishes a legal mechanism to address discriminatory reporting to law enforcement, creating a civil remedy for individuals who are subjected to unwarranted police contact based on their protected characteristics. Specifically, the bill makes it civilly actionable for a person to intentionally cause a law enforcement officer to contact someone based on their actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, national origin, place of birth, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity with the intent to infringe on their rights, discriminate against them, cause harassment or embarrassment, expel them from a lawful location, damage their reputation, or harm their economic prospects. If successful in a civil action, the plaintiff would be awarded at least $1,000 in damages plus attorneys' fees and costs. The bill also amends existing civil rights legislation to explicitly add "place of birth" as a protected characteristic, and requires the Department of Law Enforcement, in collaboration with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, to provide public guidance about the new civil liability provisions. The legislature recognizes that while citizen reporting can help keep communities safe, there have been instances of reporting being misused to target individuals from protected classes, and this bill aims to provide a legal recourse for such discriminatory actions. The law is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Government Affairs, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=116&year=2025