Hawaii shield law passes key Senate committee

Hawaii moved closer to enacting a shield law when the Senate Judiciary Committee passed HB 2557 on April 3.

A conference committee will meet sometime in the next two weeks in an attempt to reconcile disagreements among lawmakers, prosecutors and media representatives regarding the level of protection journalists receive in certain circumstances.

The bill, which is an amended version from what the House passed last month, will go to the full Senate for a vote after the committee meets.