STAND. COM. REP. NO. 491-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1780

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 Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1780 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STUDENT TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Education to create a student bus fare rate system for the Department's school bus program that includes free bus passes for students whose household qualifies for free or reduced price lunch under the free and reduced price lunch program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; and eight individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Education provides regular bus service for qualified public school students to facilitate compliance with state and federal laws, which is essential for getting students to and from school, particularly for students who lack other transportation options or face hardship in obtaining transportation to school due to economic difficulty. Your Committee further finds that, Act 139, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025, expanded the coverage of students who qualify for a free school meal. Your Committee believes that expanding student transportation services to provide free bus passes for students who meet the statutory requirements to qualify for a free meal will ensure equitable access to education.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the student bus fare rate system shall include eligibility for a free bus pass for students who meet the statutory requirements to qualify for a free school meal;

(2) Removing language that requires the Department of Education to provide for automatic qualification for a free bus pass;

(3) Clarifying that obtaining parental consent for data sharing may be used by the Department of Education when providing for streamlined qualification for a free bus pass;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

(5) 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 Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1780, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1780, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair