Bill > SB782

This bill requires Hawaii's youth and adult correctional facilities to provide free voice communication services to incarcerated individuals, ensuring that both the person initiating and receiving the call are not charged. The legislation aims to address the economic burden communication costs place on incarcerated individuals and their families, particularly impacting women of color. The bill mandates that state agencies cannot derive any financial revenue from communication services and that facilities must maintain the same or greater communication access as of January 15, 2025. Facilities are allowed to supplement voice communication with other services like video calls and electronic messaging, but these communications cannot be limited only to program participation or facility procedures. The Public Utilities Commission is tasked with establishing service quality standards and rules for these free communication services, and must submit a report to the legislature before the 2026 regular session. The bill allocates $1,000,000 for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to implement these free communication services, and aligns with recent Federal Communications Commission regulations aimed at reducing communication costs in correctional facilities. The legislation also explicitly states that in-person visitation programs cannot be replaced by these communication services, ensuring continued personal contact for incarcerated individuals.

Government Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=782&year=2026