Bill > HB2408

This bill enacts comprehensive reforms to protect children and families, designating 2027 as the "Year of Resilience, Safety, and Survivor Justice" and modernizing definitions of harm and child abuse to include non-physical forms like coercive control, which is now recognized as domestic abuse. It reforms Family Court procedures to prioritize child safety, explicitly prohibiting the use of parental alienation theories, and defines economic abuse, strengthening financial protections with measures like automatic restraining orders and emergency hearings. The bill also safeguards neurodivergent children by prohibiting "diagnosis shopping" (seeking multiple diagnoses to manipulate legal outcomes) and weaponizing disabilities in custody disputes, while protecting reproductive privacy in custody proceedings. Furthermore, it enhances accountability for Child Welfare Services through mandatory audits and the creation of a Child Welfare Ombudsman, requires automatic protective orders and custody restrictions in cases of severe violence, and establishes a specialized Family Violence Docket with mandatory judicial training and an advisory panel to ensure judges are equipped to handle these complex cases.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2408&year=2026