Bill > HB1976

This bill mandates that various state agencies, including the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, fire chiefs, the Law Enforcement Standards Board, and the Department of Health, must provide or require at least one hour of dementia-specific training annually for their first responders, such as law enforcement officers, fire personnel, and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel. The Executive Office on Aging (EOA) is tasked with reviewing and recommending dementia-specific training curricula that cover topics like recognizing dementia symptoms, communication strategies, identifying abuse and neglect, caregiver engagement, disaster response, and safe return protocols for individuals with dementia. This training is intended to equip first responders with the skills to better assist individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, who are a growing population in Hawaii and often interact with emergency services due to wandering or other dementia-related behaviors. The bill also repeals an existing law that allowed employers to *obtain* such training, shifting to a mandatory requirement. The effective date for this legislation is July 1, 3000.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services, Military Affairs and Security

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1976&year=2026