State • Hawaii

SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS.

Dru KanuhaTo Governor

SB 847 status: To Governor — Became law without the Governor's signature, Act 266, 07/16/2026, (Gov. Msg. No. 1370) (updated Jul 16, 2026).

1

What this bill does

Overall score

Score75/100 civic fit
RiskModerate risk
ImpactModerate impact 60/100

Bill summary

Official

Establishes a three-year pilot program in the County of Kauai and County of Hawaii to allow qualified psychologists under the supervision of a supervising physician or psychiatrist limited authority to prescribe certain psychotropic medications to patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years under the care of the psych...

Key analysis

Constitutionality90%
Bipartisan80%
Public opinion70%
2

Impact analysis

Environment

Mixed / Neutral
50%

Benefits

  • No direct environmental impact.

Risks

  • No direct environmental impact.

Economy

Positive Outlook
60%

Benefits

  • Potential for cost-efficient mental health delivery in underserved areas.
  • Expands scope of practice for qualified healthcare professionals.

Risks

  • Implementation costs for oversight and rule-making by the Board of Psychology.
  • Potential administrative burden on federally qualified health centers.

Society

Positive Outlook
80%

Benefits

  • Increases access to mental health care in medically underserved rural counties.
  • Integrates psychopharmacological care with psychological treatment models.

Risks

  • Safety concerns regarding prescribing by non-physicians.
  • Risk of inadequate supervision if physician oversight is not strictly maintained.
3

How trustworthy & consequential it is

Source

LegiScan

Confidence

high

high

Analysis status

LegiScan full bill text

Warning

Success of the pilot depends heavily on the effectiveness of the required physician/psychiatrist supervision model.

Limitation

Pilot program is restricted geographically to Kauai and Hawaii counties.

4

Where it stands

Introduced

Complete

Committee

Complete

Floor

Complete
4

Governor

Current

Became law without the Governor's signature, Act 266, 07/16/2026, (Gov. Msg. No. 1370).

5

Enacted

Upcoming
5

How it affects your district

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6

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