Bill > SB2438

This bill, titled the Hawaii Civil Rights Protection Act, establishes a new civil cause of action to protect constitutional and statutory rights from interference through threats, intimidation, or coercion, defining these terms to include actions that compel or induce someone to act or refrain from acting against their legal rights, or that cause a reasonable person to fear harm or unlawful restraint. It allows any person whose rights are violated, the Attorney General, or county attorneys to bring a civil lawsuit seeking remedies such as actual damages, injunctions (court orders to stop or start an action), declaratory relief (a court's official statement of rights), and attorney fees, with specific protections for speech that is not a true threat of violence or does not cause imminent fear of harm. The bill also clarifies that "person" in this context refers to individuals and private entities, not typically government entities acting within their official duties, and sets a two-year statute of limitations for filing such actions, with an exception for prospective injunctive or declaratory relief to prevent future violations.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=2438&year=2026