Senate Bill 711, the compromise which would raise the age of sexual consent for minors in Hawai’i from 14 to 15, is expected to pass in the Legislature. Proponents were hoping to raise the minimum to at least 16, but
Senate Bill 711, the compromise which would raise the age of sexual consent for minors in Hawai’i from 14 to 15, is expected to pass in the Legislature.
Proponents were hoping to raise the minimum to at least 16, but a compromise was reached to avoid having the matter die in committee – the fate of similar bills the past three or four sessions. The bill is expected out of a conference committee this week, the scheduled end of the legislative session.
Currently, Hawai’i is the only state where a 14-year-old who can’t legally buy pornography or drink alcohol is allowed to consensually have sex with an adult.
Rep. Eric Hamakawa (D-Big Island), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has been a leading opponent of a 16-year-old age limit.
