---
type: "Bill"
title: "RELATING TO NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS."
description: "Prohibits a public benefits corporation from purchasing its own memberships. Clarifies functions, duties, and composition of nonprofit boards of directors. Permits boards to take action without a meeting through electronic means. Clarifies time limits for notice to the Attorney General for oversight purposes. Makes housekeeping amendments. (SD2)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/hi"
legislature: "Hawaii Legislature"
session: "2019 Regular Session"
identifier: "HB 944"
citation: "Hawaii HB 944 (2019 Regular Session)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Nonprofit Corporations", "Boards of Directors", "Public Benefit Corporations"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["SAIKI (Introduced by request of another party)"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 38
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2019-01-22"
last_action: "2019-06-12"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/adfda593-d64d-4355-b2b9-bfd5efc99237"
source_url: "http://capitol.hawaii.gov/Archives/measure_indiv_Archives8-12.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=944&year=2019"
source_hash: "396ac7cc4c1a4d83935af46c3d956e49974f3bae312e7facc6d9e8664971a6dc"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-hi"]
---

# Hawaii HB 944 (2019 Regular Session) — RELATING TO NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS.

Prohibits a public benefits corporation from purchasing its own memberships. Clarifies functions, duties, and composition of nonprofit boards of directors. Permits boards to take action without a meeting through electronic means. Clarifies time limits for notice to the Attorney General for oversight purposes. Makes housekeeping amendments. (SD2)

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB944** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2019/bills/HB944_.HTM)
2. **HB944_HD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2019/bills/HB944_HD1_.HTM)
3. **HB944_SD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2019/bills/HB944_SD1_.HTM)

## Votes

- The committees on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **7–0** (pass) · lower
- The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **3–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee(s) on CPH recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- The committees on JUD recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. — **8–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- SAIKI (Introduced by request of another party) — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-01-22** Pending introduction.
- **2019-01-24** Introduced and Pass First Reading. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2019-01-28** Referred to CPC, JUD, referral sheet 6 `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-29** Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Friday, 02-01-19 2:00PM in House conference room 329.
- **2019-02-01** The committees on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Takumi, Ichiyama, Cachola, Har, Kong, Onishi, Matsumoto; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 4 Excused: Representative(s) Aquino, Belatti, Cabanilla Arakawa, Mizuno. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-02-07** Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 140) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JUD.
- **2019-02-07** Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JUD with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Nakamura, Thielen excused (2). `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2019-02-20** Bill scheduled to be heard by JUD on Friday, 02-22-19 2:05PM in House conference room 325.
- **2019-02-22** The committee(s) on JUD recommend(s) that the measure be deferred until Tuesday, 02-26-19.
- **2019-02-22** Bill scheduled for decision making on Tuesday, 02-26-19 2:00PM in conference room 325.
- **2019-02-26** The committees on JUD recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) C. Lee, San Buenaventura, Brower, McKelvey, Say, Takayama, Yamane, Thielen; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Creagan, Lowen, Morikawa. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-02-28** Reported from JUD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 894), recommending passage on Third Reading.
- **2019-02-28** Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) DeCoite excused (1). Transmitted to Senate. `passage`
- **2019-03-01** Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 87). `introduction`
- **2019-03-01** Passed First Reading. `reading-1`
- **2019-03-05** Referred to CPH, JDC. `referral-committee`
- **2019-03-08** The committee(s) on CPH has scheduled a public hearing on 03-12-19 9:00AM in conference room 229.
- **2019-03-12** The committee(s) on CPH recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in CPH were as follows: 6 Aye(s): Senator(s) Baker, S. Chang, J.Keohokalole, Nishihara, Ruderman, L. Thielen; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-03-21** Reported from CPH (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1310) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.
- **2019-03-21** Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC.
- **2019-03-22** The committee(s) on JDC will hold a public decision making on 03-28-19 9:45AM in conference room 016.
- **2019-03-28** The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in JDC were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) K. Rhoads, Gabbard, Kim; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Wakai, Fevella. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2019-04-05** Reported from JDC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1908) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
- **2019-04-05** 48 Hrs. Notice 04-09-19.
- **2019-04-09** Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. `passage`
- **2019-04-09** Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 804) in amended form (SD 2).
- **2019-04-11** House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).
- **2019-04-12** Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 804).
- **2019-04-18** Senate Conferees Appointed: Baker Chair; K. Rhoads Co-Chair; Fevella.
- **2019-04-18** Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 917).
- **2019-04-24** Reconsideration of action taken on 04-11-19.
- **2019-04-25** Received notice of House reconsideration of action in disagreeing to the amendments proposed by the Senate (Hse. Com. No. 862).
- **2019-04-25** House agrees to Senate amendment(s).
- **2019-04-25** Passed Final Reading as amended in SD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cachola, Thielen excused (2).
- **2019-04-26** Received notice of House agreement and passage on Final Reading (Hse. Com. No. 871).
- **2019-04-26** Transmitted to Governor.
- **2019-06-12** Act 065, on 06/07/2019 (Gov. Msg. No. 1166). `executive-signature`
- **2019-06-12** Act 065, 06/07/2019 (Gov. Msg. No. 1166). `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/adfda593-d64d-4355-b2b9-bfd5efc99237`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Hawaii legislature records).