Requesting The Hawaii State Lgbtq+ Commission And Hawaii State Commission On The Status Of Women To Collaborate And Conduct A Comprehensive Review Of The Hawaii Revised Statutes And Recommend Amendments To Incorporate Gender-neutral Terminology.
Summary
H.R. 95 is a House Resolution requesting that the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission and the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women work together to review the Hawaii Revised Statutes for gendered or binary language and recommend amendments to make the statutes more gender-neutral. The resolution also asks the commissions to draft proposed legislation, develop a process for reviewing future bills for inclusive terminology, and submit a report with findings and recommendations, including draft statutory changes, to the Legislature by December 31, 2026.
The resolution frames the effort as part of Hawaii’s broader commitment to inclusivity and equal treatment, citing prior state actions such as marriage equality and the expansion of gender markers on state identification cards and driver’s licenses to include an “X” designation. It also directs the Department of the Attorney General to assist and encourages consultation with civil rights experts, including the Lambda Law Student Association, to support the review and drafting process.
Impact
Because H.R. 95 is a resolution rather than a bill, it does not itself amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or create enforceable legal rights. Its practical effect is to initiate a legislative review process and generate recommendations for future statutory amendments and bill-review procedures aimed at replacing gendered terminology with gender-neutral language across state law. The resolution primarily affects the two named commissions, the Attorney General’s office, and, indirectly, future legislative drafting and statutory interpretation practices.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is strongly supportive of inclusivity, equality, and modernization of state law. The bill text presents the measure as a continuation of Hawaii’s prior actions on marriage equality and gender-marker recognition, and there is no recorded committee opposition or vote history in the provided materials. The absence of transcripts or votes suggests no documented controversy in the available record, though the subject matter itself is clearly framed as a civil rights and language-modernization initiative.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided committee materials or voting history. Based on the text, any potential debate would likely center on the scope of the statutory review, the use of state resources, and whether existing gendered terms in the Hawaii Revised Statutes should be systematically revised. The resolution anticipates collaboration with civil rights experts and the Attorney General, which may reflect an effort to reduce legal or drafting concerns before any future legislation is introduced.
Same As
Requesting The Hawaii State Lgbtq+ Commission And Hawaii State Commission On The Status Of Women To Collaborate And Conduct A Comprehensive Review Of The Hawaii Revised Statutes And Recommend Amendments To Incorporate Gender-neutral Terminology.