KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair |
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Senator Sharon Y. Moriwaki, Vice Chair |
NOTICE OF DECISION MAKING
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DATE: |
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 |
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TIME: |
10:57 AM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 211 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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TIMESLOT: |
WAM |
PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY
A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.
A G E N D A
The following measure(s) were previously heard in their respective subject matter committees:
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RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. Provides for the repeal of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority and reversion of management authority over Mauna Kea lands to the University of Hawaii upon a recommendation from the Auditor that the Authority is unfit to continue management of Mauna Kea lands. Authorizes the Authority to extend existing leases and subleases for up to an additional ten-year term. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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WLA/EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO CONSERVATION BANKING. Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources and certain public or private entities to operate conservation banks, subject to approval from the Board of Land and Natural Resources, for situations where a person or entity is required to provide compensatory mitigation to offset adverse impacts to threatened, endangered, candidate, or proposed species as part of an approved incidental take license and habitat conservation plan. Adds the associate director of the United States Geological Survey, Ecosystem Mission Area, to the membership of the Endangered Species Recovery Committee. Requires the Endangered Species Recovery Committee to review applications and proposals for conservation banks and conduct subsequent reviews and oversight. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT. Requires the Director of Human Resources Development to abolish vacant positions within state departments and agencies under its jurisdiction that have been vacant for more than 5 years with certain exceptions. Requires a list of positions abolished to be included in the Director's annual report to the Legislature. Requires funds for abolished positions to immediately lapse to the credit of the appropriate fund. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)
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LBT, WAM |
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RELATING TO STATE FACILITIES. Allows the naming rights of the Stadium Facility to be leased to any public or private entity. Requires any revenues derived from advertising or marketing in or on the Stadium Facility to be deposited into the Stadium Development Special Fund. Authorizes the display of the name of any entity that leased the naming rights to a stadium operated by the Stadium Authority on the exterior of the stadium. Exempts concessions within the Stadium Facility from chapter 102, HRS. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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EDT/GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD STATE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. Authorizes the Adjutant General to expand the Hawaii National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program to include graduate degrees at the University of Hawaii for qualified enlisted personnel in the Hawaii National Guard.
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PSM/EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. Establishes the Kuleana AgTech Pathways Program to create career pipelines in the fields of agriculture and agricultural technology. Requires the University of Hawaii to collaborate with the Department of Education, Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Agribusiness Development Corporation, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and appropriate community organizations to develop and administer the program. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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EDU/AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS. Requires the Director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to make certain contact information for newly registered entities available online. Requires the Director to transmit the contact information to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism's Business Development and Support Division. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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CPN/EDT, WAM |
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RELATING TO ELECTRIC ENERGY. Requires all electric utilities to provide transparent customer bill impact analyses that are accessible to the public in an electronic format reasonably usable by ratepayers. Establishes requirements for bill impact analyses. Requires electric utilities to submit annual reports to the Public Utilities Commission. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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CPN/EIG, WAM |
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RELATING TO SCHOOL MODERNIZATION. Requires the School Facilities Authority to establish a school modernization initiative through a capital improvement project planning database for school facilities statewide. Appropriates funds. (SD1)
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE COUNTIES. Requires a statewide permitting data standard developed collaboratively by the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and the Chief Data Officer. Requires each county to publish monthly updates of building and civil engineering permit data in accordance with that standard. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 4/19/2042. (SD1)
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EIG/WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. Establishes a five-year Agriculture and Biosecurity Workforce Development Pilot Program within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, in collaboration with the University of Hawaii's Leeward Community College and the Department of Human Resources Development. Requires a report to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2031. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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AEN/EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO CONSERVATION ENFORCEMENT. Appropriates funds for the purchase of equipment for the Hawaii Island Branch of the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
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WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE KALAUPAPA SETTLEMENT. Requires the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, to submit a report on the plan for the transfer of powers and duties of Kalaupapa Settlement prior to the Regular Session of 2027.
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HHS/WLA/HWN, WAM |
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RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. Establishes a nonrefundable income tax credit to incentivize significant investment in agricultural production and support the expansion of agricultural crops that take longer to become productive. Sunsets 1/1/2031. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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AEN, WAM |
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RELATING TO PROCUREMENT. Establishes the Small Business Procurement Program and Small Business Procurement Coordinator position permanently in the State Procurement Office. Repeals the Small Business Assistance Initiative established in Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, effective 1/1/2525. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2525. (SD1)
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GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO PUBLIC NOTICE. Establishes the Electronic Posting Pilot Project for any county with a population between one hundred thousand and 175,000, to be administered by the county clerk of each participating county. Allows county agencies to satisfy county-wide public notice requirements by posting notices on official county websites, while retaining publication as an option. Requires a report to the Legislature. Effective 1/1/2525. (SD1)
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GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO CONSERVATION. Requires the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt rules that implement wildlife viewing guidelines that substantially conform to the wildlife viewing guidelines issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Requires annual reports to the Legislature until rules are adopted. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO LIGHT POLLUTION. Beginning 7/1/2027, establishes outdoor light fixture requirements throughout the State. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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EDT/EIG, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE HAWAII STATE PLANNING ACT. Establishes green infrastructure objectives, policies, and priority guidelines for state facility systems, infrastructure, and transit projects in the Hawaii State Planning Act to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. Adds a definition of "green infrastructure". Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to submit a report to the Legislature making recommendations for implementing green infrastructure objectives, policies, and priority guidelines.
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WLA/GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO CULTURE AND ARTS. Establishes the Office of Creative Innovation within the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts for administrative purposes only. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds for the establishment of one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Executive Director position and one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) Specialist position within the Office of Creative Innovation. Effective 7/1/2026. (SD1)
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WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO PUBLIC HOUSING. Requires the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to allow any resident of a public housing project or state low-income housing project to keep one or more pet animals in the resident's unit, subject to applicable state laws, county ordinances, and any reasonable conditions. Provides that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority may charge a refundable deposit for each pet animal but shall not impose a monthly pet fee or pet rent. Allows the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to remove a vicious animal to protect persons or property. Establishes positions. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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HOU, WAM |
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RELATING TO PROPERTY CONVEYANCE. Restructures the conveyance tax to a marginal rate system and adjusts the tax for multifamily properties to reflect value on a per-unit basis. Adjusts allocations of conveyance tax collections to the Land Conservation Fund and Rental Housing Revolving Fund. Adds the Special Land and Development Fund (to fund land acquisition for the Hawaii Statewide Trail and Access Program) and the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund (to fund infrastructure programs in county-designated transit-oriented development areas). Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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WLA/EIG, WAM |
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RELATING TO FINANCIAL LITERACY. Requires the Department of Education to implement financial literacy instruction into existing courses in public high schools that have sufficient overlap with financial literacy program standards beginning in the 2027-2028 school year. Requires the Board of Education to provide professional development to teachers. Authorizes the Board of Education to adopt rules. Appropriates funds. (SD1)
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE STATE BUILDING CODE COUNCIL. Establishes one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent position for the State Building Code Council to support statewide building code coordination, permitting transparency, and modernization initiatives. Requires county reporting on building permitting performance. Requires the State Building Code Council to develop a plan for the creation of a standardized statewide permitting data system or public dashboard and a state building code modernization and transparency initiative. Requires the State Building Code Council to develop standardized credentials and training requirements for permitting officials. Requires a report to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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PSM/EIG, WAM |
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RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES. Appropriates moneys to the Department of Health for the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Watershed-based Water Quality Monitoring Pilot Program for the Waikele Watershed. Requires report to the Legislature. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
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WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO CIVIL SERVICE EXEMPT POSITIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES. Exempts from the State's civil service and collective bargaining laws the following positions within the Department of Accounting and General Services: all positions filled by the Public Works Division's Special Project Branch; and all positions within the Comptroller's Office hired to support communications, change management, and business process improvement programs as part of the State's information technology modernization efforts. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. Effective 1/1/2077. Sunsets 12/31/2031. (SD1)
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LBT/GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. Requires unencumbered and unexpended revenues from the Automated Speed Enforcement Systems Program Special Fund in excess of $12,000,000 as of June 30 of each year to lapse to the general fund.
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TRS, WAM |
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RELATING TO STATE EMPLOYMENT. Repeals language that limits the temporary employment of a person in a single position for 2 terms of 89 days. Requires each department and agency to submit an annual report to the Legislature that includes certain information about the department or agency's employment of 89-day hires. Automatically abolishes positions that have been vacant for more than 48 months. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)
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LBT/GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH. Establishes the Mental Health Emerging Therapies Task Force to prepare the State for the integration of breakthrough therapies, expansion of pathways for clinical trials and clinical research, and development of policy recommendations for safe, ethical, and culturally informed implementation of emerging therapies. Requires reports to the Legislature. Sunsets 6/30/2028. Effective 1/30/2050. (SD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO AIR MEDICAL SERVICES. Establishes the Statewide Air Medical Services Program within the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention Systems Branch to coordinate and strengthen air medical services. Provides for an air medical director, an air medical program manager, and an air medical coordinator. Provides for annual licensure and accreditation fees to be deposited into the Emergency Medical Services Special Fund for costs of the program.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII. Authorizes the use of the University of Hawaii Tuition and Fees Special Fund to conduct donor evaluations. Requires the related report to the Legislature to include any donor evaluations conducted using moneys from the fund. (SD1)
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS. Establishes the universal school meals special fund to accept deposits of Medicaid reimbursements received by the Department of Education.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO TRAFFIC SAFETY. Appropriates funds to the Department of Transportation to install all-way crosswalks at sites abutting school properties. (SD1)
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TRS, WAM |
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RELATING TO HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS. Establishes a Royal Mausoleum Working Group within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop and implement policy for the preservation, operation, and outreach of Mauna ?Ala. Allows the Royal Mausoleum Working Group to make rules as necessary, employ staff, and receive private or federal funds. Requires the Royal Mausoleum Working Group to submit a brief report and a final comprehensive report to the Legislature. Requires the Legislature to appropriate sufficient funds to support the Royal Mausoleum Working Group. Effective 9/9/2129. (SD1)
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HWN/WLA, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE STATE BUDGET. Appropriates funds to be expended by the Department of Health as a grant for the Hawaii Primary Care Association to support solar-plus-storage microgrid implementation at community health centers in medically underserved communities, and provide programmatic, project management, contract management, reporting and fiscal stewardship responsibilities, and developing future scalable plans for the project specified by this Act. Effective 1/30/2050. (SD1)
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII. Requires the University of Hawaii to develop a facilities and student housing master plan. Requires reports to the Legislature. Effective 7/31/2050. (SD1)
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO MEDICAID. Appropriates moneys to the Department of Human Services to increase funding for certain Medicaid home- and community-based services, including residential services offered in community care foster family homes and expanded adult residential care homes. Requires the Department to obtain matching federal funds and to pursue additional funding sources.
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HHS, WAM |
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RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENTS. Requires the Department of Education to establish an updated plan for maximizing Medicaid reimbursements for administrative and support services provided to students with special needs. Requires annual reports to the Legislature. (SD1)
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO STATE-FUNDED TRAVEL. Establishes a two-year state-funded travel moratorium for certain state agencies, with certain exceptions. Permits the Department of Accounting and General Services to adopt rules. Requires reports to the Legislature. Effective 1/1/2525. Sunsets 6/30/2028. (SD1)
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GVO, WAM |
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RELATING TO TAXATION. Requires each county to apply any applicable real property tax exemptions, reduced assessments, or tax classifications for any affordable housing subject to income, resale, or occupancy restrictions as of the date a qualifying owner takes title to the affordable housing for the upcoming tax period, consistent with county procedures. Effective 4/19/2042. (SD1)
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EIG/HOU, WAM |
Decision making meeting only, no oral testimony will be accepted.
Persons wishing to submit written testimony may do so up to 24 hours prior to the hearing. Click here to submit written testimony.
All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.
For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please call the committee clerk at the telephone number listed below or email WAMcommittee@capitol.hawaii.gov. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.
FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored. If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808) 586-6800.
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_____________________________________ Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz Chair |
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