Hawaii Kills Bill to End Vaccine Exemptions After Massive Pushback From Public

Rep. Diamond Garcia, House minority floor leader, who opposed the bill, told The Defender it was defeated because the “people of Hawai‘i sent a clear message: medical freedom is non-negotiable.”

Mar 06, 2025

Hawaii’s religious exemption from vaccine mandates is safe — at least for now. Under pressure from constituents, state lawmakers voted yesterday to table a bill that would have repealed the exemption.

House Bill 1118 was part of the “governor’s package,” a set of proposed bills that make up Gov. Josh Green’s legislative agenda.

The bill, introduced in January in the House and Senate, aimed to curb the growing rates of non-medical exemptions in the state over the last 10 years.

However, the proposed legislation encountered stiff pushback from the public and grassroots organizations in Hawaii, who responded with letters, public statements and rallies opposing the bill.

Constituents submitted more than 2,000 written statements to state lawmakers opposing the bill and just over 100 supporting it.

When the bill came up for discussion in Tuesday’s legislative session, Democratic Rep. Chris Todd moved to “recommit” it back to committee, effectively tabling it. Rep. Dee Morikawa, House majority leader, seconded the motion, which then passed.

The bill will not continue to the Senate floor.

Rep. Diamond Garcia, House minority floor leader, who opposed the bill, told The Defender it was defeated because the “people of Hawai‘i sent a clear message: medical freedom is non-negotiable.”

He added:

“HB1118 was an assault on our First Amendment rights and an attempt to coerce families into medical tyranny. But when the people rise, politicians listen. The overwhelming public opposition forced House leadership to retreat because they knew they didn’t have the votes.
“This is a victory for the people of Hawai‘i, who stood up against government overreach and made their voices impossible to ignore. The fight isn’t over, but yesterday proved that when we apply the heat, they feel it.”

Kim Haines, former head of Children’s Health Defense’s Hawaii Chapter, said that Hawaiians came out in force to oppose the bill and that people from across the country also reached out to support them.

“I am so honored and proud to be a part of the Hawaiian people who took a stand respectively, collectively, and with great strength and conviction,” she said. “It truly is a win for grassroots activism in Hawaii. Our collective voice truly can make a difference! “

She said the American people “have had enough of the government reaching into their bodies and into the bodies of their children.”

Gary Cordery, former gubernatorial candidate and founder of the Aloha Freedom Coalition — formed in 2020 in response to the state’s COVID-19 lockdown and mandate policies — told The Defender his group received reports from representatives that their phone banks and individual representative’s phone lines “were flooded.”

“It’s a win for the people really,” Cordery said. “It’s really a win for the people and the expression of their will, and actually just engagement in conversation.”

Aloha Freedom Coalition, together with 14 other local organizations, held a day-long rally on Feb. 20, while legislators were in session discussing the bill. Several legislators stopped by to speak, Cordery said, and the rally was so loud that the congressional Sergeant at Arms came down and asked them to lower the volume because it was disrupting the session.

“The legislators could hear us,” he said, so they knew “the people were there and that it mattered. People were paying attention.”

Haines also noted the significance of defeating a bill that was part of Green’s legislative package, as such bills typically make it to the House and Senate floors for a vote.

Green, an emergency medicine doctor, previously served as lieutenant governor and led the state’s COVID-19 response during the pandemic, heading up a pandemic response that local organizers told The Defender was one of the most draconian in the country, often requiring vaccine passports.

Green recently made national headlines, appearing in mainstream media and in political ads smearing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his confirmation hearings for secretary of Health and Human Services.

Green is a Democratic governor in a state with a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate.

Haines emphasized it will be important for the people of Hawaii to “stay vigilant.”

Attorney Sujata Gibson, who was advising grassroots groups, agreed. “We have to stay vigilant.” Still, she said, “This is a big win and a testament to the power of activism.”

Gibson said:

“Many legislators commented that they were swayed by the sheer number of public comments against this bill, as well as the fear that the repeal would be tied up in lawsuits.
“Those on the ground in Hawaii deserve big kudos for their amazing work and results.”

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