STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3607

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 190

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.R. No. 190 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO ALLOW AN OLELO HAWAII PATHWAY UNDER THE NIIHAU DIALECT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the University of Hawaii to allow an Olelo Hawaii Pathway concentrating specifically on Olelo Niihau.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from two individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System.

Your Committees find that Olelo Hawaii is a unique marker of Hawaiian identity and the proud heritage of the Hawaiian people, and the isolation of the Niihau community has allowed Olelo Niihau to flourish as its own dialect, significantly distinct from the Olelo Hawaii commonly found in immersion schools and mainstream educational settings. Your Committees further find that offering educational pathways in unique, culturally significant dialects, such as Olelo Niihau, is critical to preserving those languages. Your Committees note concerns regarding whether specific campuses may be able to offer such a specific pathway, due to available faculty expertise, resources, and student interest. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to grant the University of Hawaii the latitude to effectively develop and implement the proposed offering.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the University of Hawaii is requested to consider offering Olelo Hawaii micro-credentials focusing on the Niihau dialect, rather than an Olelo Hawaii Pathway concentrating specifically on Olelo Niihau;

(2) Amending its title accordingly; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 190, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 190, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Hawaiian Affairs,

________________________________ HERBERT M. RICHARDS, III, Chair

________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair