AGENDA

April 28, 2026 at 11:30am Meeting to be Held Remotely via Zoom.

Remote Meeting Link for April 28, 2026 Meeting at 11:30am:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4349599058?pwd=VlpKZDVmZ3MzYit5clJQTE1VekhOdz09&omn=89828929331

Meeting ID: 434 959 9058

Passcode: dER5Xy

Physical Meeting Location:

Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani Building

830 Punchbowl Street, Room 411

No board members will be present.

Upon request, a testifier can be made visible to Board members and other meeting participants using either the remote meeting link above or at the physical meeting location.

Instructions to attend State of Hawaii Virtual Board meetings via Zoom:

https://labor.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/State-of-Hawaii-Virtual-Board-Attendee- Instructions.pdf

1.    Call to Order

2.    Approval of minutes of the March 24, 2026 Commission Meeting

3.    Executive Director’s Report

a.    Mediation: Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission’s Mediation Program Year-to-Date Summary

b.    Data and Production regarding Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission’s Caseload Data, Comparison by Year, Age of Filed Cases, Year-to-Date Data

c.    Public responses, if any, to HCRC data and production report

4.    Chief Counsel’s Report

a.    Marcus L. Kawatachi, Executive Director, on behalf of the complaint filed by BRANDIE AND GREGORY PAYNE v. PEARY G. WAGNER; Dkt. No. 25-001-H-F

                                                                i.             Hearing held: January 30, 2026, extended to February 24, 2026 for additional memoranda

                                                              ii.             Hearings Examiner’s proposed decision: April 24, 2026

b.    MARCUS KAWATACHI, as Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission, on behalf of the Complaint filed by SHANNEL E. DIEDERIKS vs. Aliʻi Builders, LLC; Dkt. No. 25-002-E-SH-RET

                                                                i.             Hearing held: March 10-12, 2026

                                                              ii.             Hearings Examiner’s proposed decision: June 10, 2026

c.    MARCUS L. KAWATACHI, Executive Director, on behalf of the complaint filed by FABIOLA DIAS v. EVAN YUTAKA K. MASUNAGA and KRISTIN YURI MASUNAGA, Dkt. No. 25-004-H-S-RET

5.    2026 Legislative Session Updates, 2026 Bills relating to civil rights (Senate Bills (“SB”) and House Bills (“HB”) Senate Concurrent Resolution (“SCR”) Senate Resolution (“SR”) House Concurrent Resolution (“HCR”))

a.    SCR 184/HCR192/SR165: Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission; Civil Rights; Anti-Discrimination; Algorithmic Decision Making; Automated Decision Making; Report. Requesting the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission to examine the applicability of existing state anti-discrimination laws to algorithmic and automated decision systems.

                                                                i.             Staff recommendation: Support (see board packet for staff comments and resolution)

b.    SCR 11:  Federal Equality Act; Sex; Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Requesting that the federal Civil Rights Law be amended to include protections for sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

                                                                i.             Staff recommendation: Support (see board packet for staff comments and resolution)

c.    SB2727: Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission; Anti-discrimination; Statute of Limitations. Lengthens the statute of limitations to file a complaint of discrimination with the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission to one year.

d.    SB2438: Hawai‘i Constitutional Civil Rights Protection Act. Establishes a civil cause of action for interference with constitutional and statutory rights through threats, intimidation, or coercion. Authorizes private rights of action. Authorizes actions to be brought by the Attorney General, County Corporation Counsel, or County Attorney. 

e.    SB2386: Required posting of salary ranges in job listings to clarify definition of covered employee and removes exemption for employers with under 50 employees

f.     HB1878: Prohibits discrimination based on: (1) The perception that a person possesses certain characteristics; (2) The perception that a person is associated with a person who possesses, or is perceived to possess, certain characteristics; or (3) The intersection or combination of two or more specified characteristics in relation to a person.

g.    SB2852: Discrimination in Public Accommodations; Persons with Disabilities; Discriminatory Practices; Places of Public Accommodation. Establishes it as an unlawful discriminatory practice for a place of public accommodation to deny a person with a disability full and equal enjoyment of information related to their services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations by requiring use of information and communication technology that is not accessible to the person.

6.    Recruitment for Deputy Executive Director Position

a.    Status of recruitment

b.    Questions and staff answers about recruitment and selection

7.    Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission (HCRC) General Discussion

a.    Structure, Function, and Duties of HCRC

b.    Frequently Asked Questions and Staff Responses

8.    Announcements

a.    Farewell to Commissioner Nichols and many thanks and appreciation for his work on the Commission

b.    Next Commission Meeting Dates (May Meeting TBD)

If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, contact Constance Yonashiro at (808) 586-8642 or constance.m.yonashiro@hawaii.gov.  Requests made as early as possible will allow more time to fulfill your request if possible.

Testimony can be submitted via e-mail to DLIR.HCRC.INFOR@hawaii.gov.  TESTIMONY in the title, or mailed to Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, 830 Punchbowl Street, Room 411, Honolulu, HI 96813. Oral testimony will also be accepted.

Board packets, if prepared, will be available pursuant to H.R.S. § 92-7.5 and posted to the HCRC website under commission agendas.

If the remote connection (via Zoom) is lost, the meeting will be recessed for up to thirty (30) minutes to restore communication. If the connection is lost, we will attempt to restart the meeting again with the same link. If the Commission can reestablish audio communication only, the meeting will be reconvened and continue. If the Commission is unable to reconvene the meeting because neither audiovisual communication nor audio communication can be reestablished within thirty minutes, the meeting will be automatically terminated.

If you have trouble entering the meeting, please contact Sandy at (808) 586-8659.