STAND. COM. REP. NO. 195-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2291

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred H.B. No. 2291 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Rename the "Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Program" to the "Hawaii National Guard Civil-Military Program" and codify its Hawaiian name, "Nā Kula Alakaʻi"; and

(2) Clarify that employees of the Hawaii National Guard youth and adult educational programs are excluded from collective bargaining.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Defense and Civil–Military Programs of the Hawaiʻi National Guard.

Your Committee finds that this measure reflects the continued evolution of the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Programs. More specifically, it renames the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Program to the Hawaii National Guard Civil-Military Program to ensure federal alignment with the United States Department of Defense.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the Chief of the National Guard Manual and Department of Defense Instruction apply to the State, which has entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Guard Bureau for the purpose of establishing and operating a National Guard Youth Challenge Program;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2291, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2291, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair