---
type: "Bill"
title: "RELATING TO PET INSURANCE."
description: "Beginning 1/1/2026, establishes a regulatory framework specifically for pet insurance based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Pet Insurance Model Act. (CD1)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/hi"
legislature: "Hawaii Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 544"
citation: "Hawaii HB 544 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Establishment", "Pet Insurance", "Regulation"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["GARRETT", "KAHALOA", "KILA"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 44
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2025-01-17"
last_action: "2025-05-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/00904c42-7e18-4a0f-a957-128b94fb5ef0"
source_url: "https://capitol.hawaii.gov/session/archives/measure_indiv_Archives.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=544&year=2025"
source_hash: "ecdc33254cd76feb17f76a8a3da6e8921146657359aa5ff47e6f3e96a44d9528"
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 544 (2025) — RELATING TO PET INSURANCE.

Beginning 1/1/2026, establishes a regulatory framework specifically for pet insurance based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Pet Insurance Model Act. (CD1)

## Version chain

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

1. **HB544** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB544_.HTM)
2. **HB544_CD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB544_CD1_.HTM)
3. **HB544_HD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB544_HD1_.HTM)
4. **HB544_SD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/HB544_SD1_.HTM)

## Votes

- The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. — **4–0** (pass) · upper
- Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. — **25–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. — **3–0** (pass) · lower
- The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **4–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **3–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- GARRETT — primary (person)
- KAHALOA — primary (person)
- KILA — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-05-19** Act 079, on 05/19/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1179). `became-law`
- **2025-05-19** Act 079, 05/19/2025 (Gov. Msg. No. 1179). `became-law`
- **2025-05-01** Transmitted to Governor.
- **2025-05-02** Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 821). `receipt`
- **2025-05-01** Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 888). `receipt`
- **2025-04-30** Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Pierick excused (2). `passage`
- **2025-04-30** Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none. `passage`
- **2025-04-24** 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 04-30-25
- **2025-04-24** Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 44).
- **2025-04-24** Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 04-30-25.
- **2025-04-24** Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 44) as amended in (CD 1).
- **2025-04-23** The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Rhoads, Fukunaga, Richards; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Awa. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-23** The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 3 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Chun, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
- **2025-04-22** Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-23-25 3:30PM in conference room 224.
- **2025-04-21** Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-22-25 1:30PM in conference room 224.
- **2025-04-17** Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Monday, 04-21-25 1:30PM in conference room 224.
- **2025-04-15** Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 788). `receipt`
- **2025-04-15** Senate Conferees Appointed: Keohokalole Chair; Rhoads Co-Chair; Fukunaga, Richards, Awa.
- **2025-04-15** Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 732). `receipt`
- **2025-04-14** House Conferees Appointed: Matayoshi Chair; Chun, Pierick.
- **2025-04-08** Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 559). `receipt`
- **2025-04-04** House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). `amendment-failure`
- **2025-04-03** Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 545) in amended form (SD 1).
- **2025-04-03** Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. `passage`
- **2025-04-02** One Day Notice 04-03-25.
- **2025-04-02** Reported from JDC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1510) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
- **2025-03-27** The committee(s) on JDC recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in JDC were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Rhoads, Gabbard, Chang, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) San Buenaventura. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-25** The committee(s) on JDC will hold a public decision making on 03-27-25 10:40AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.
- **2025-03-21** The committee(s) on JDC will hold a public decision making on 03-25-25 10:01AM; Conference Room 016 & Videoconference.
- **2025-03-21** Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC. `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-21** Reported from CPN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1256) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.
- **2025-03-14** The committee(s) on CPN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in CPN were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Keohokalole, Fukunaga, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) McKelvey, Richards. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-07** The committee(s) on CPN has scheduled a public hearing on 03-14-25 9:30AM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
- **2025-03-06** Referred to CPN, JDC. `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-06** Passed First Reading. `reading-1`
- **2025-03-06** Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 253). `introduction, receipt`
- **2025-03-04** Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate. `passage`
- **2025-02-27** Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1; placed on the calendar for Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Pierick, Templo, Ward excused (4).
- **2025-02-27** Reported from CPC (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 810) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and placement on the calendar for Third Reading.
- **2025-02-19** The committee on CPC recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Matayoshi, Chun, Ilagan, Iwamoto, Kong, Lowen, Marten, Tam, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ichiyama. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-02-14** Bill scheduled to be heard by CPC on Wednesday, 02-19-25 2:00PM in House conference room 329 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- **2025-01-21** Referred to CPC, referral sheet 2 `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-21** Introduced and Pass First Reading. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-01-17** Pending introduction.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/00904c42-7e18-4a0f-a957-128b94fb5ef0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Hawaii legislature records).