STAND. COM. REP. NO. 480-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1890

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 1890, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide annual salary step increases for public school teachers who complete one year of satisfactory service and meet specified requirements, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement and subject to the availability of funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Office of Collective Bargaining. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Education; and United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL‑CIO.

Your Committee finds that although teacher salaries in Hawaii appear competitive on national charts, the State's high cost of living results in teachers effectively having the lowest real wages in the nation, contributing significantly to teacher turnover. Your Committee further finds that nearly half of teachers leave the profession or the State within five years, disrupting continuity in the classroom and undermining student learning. Your Committee believes that establishing predictable annual and longevity step increases will improve retention by ensuring more stable and competitive compensation over the course of a teacher's career.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Expanding the applicable qualification requirements teachers must comply with to be eligible for an annual increment and a longevity step increase; and

(2) 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 Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1890, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1890, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair