THE SENATE

KA AHA KENEKOA

 

THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2026

 

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Senator Donna Mercado Kim, Chair

Senator Michelle N. Kidani, Vice Chair

 

COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura, Chair

Senator Angus L.K. McKelvey, Vice Chair

 

AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING

 

 

DATE:

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

TIME:

1:00 PM

PLACE:

Conference Room 225 & Videoconference

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

TIMESLOT:

HHS

 

 

PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL

BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY

 

The Legislature is accepting written, videoconference, and in-person testimony at public hearings.

A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.

 

 

A M E N D E D  A G E N D A

 

The following two bills were originally scheduled to be heard on Monday, February 9, 2026, but due to the severe weather event over the weekend, the hearing was cancelled. All testimony previously submitted will be available to the committee and posted on the Legislature's website prior to the hearing and therefore, does not need to be resubmitted. New testimony will be accepted. 

 

SB 2969

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE MAUI WILDFIRE EXPOSURE STUDY AND MAUI HEALTH REGISTRY.

Appropriates funds for the University of Hawaiʻi to expand and sustain services provided by the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study and Maui Health Registry.

 

EDU/HHS, WAM

[Measure added on 02-09-26]

SB 2657

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND RELATED DEMENTIAS RESEARCH.

Establishes the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research Center of Hawaii within the University of Hawaii.  Requires the Research Center to be administratively affiliated with the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.  Requires JABSOM, the Research Center, University of Hawaii Center on Aging, and University of Hawaii at Manoa to identify opportunities to capitalize on collaboration between the parties and maximize operational efficiencies.  Requires the Research Center to submit annual reports to the Legislature.  Appropriates funds.

 

EDU/HHS, WAM

[Measure added on 02-09-26]

SB 2612

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION IN SCHOOLS.

Clarifies that the Department of Education and its employees and agents shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability arising from assisting students with the administration of medication under certain circumstances.

 

EDU/HHS, JDC

SB 2412

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

Appropriates moneys to establish a bachelor's degree program in American Sign Language interpretation at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus with a multi-year plan to include a master's degree program for interpreter training.

 

EDU/HHS, WAM

 

Decision Making to follow, if time permits.

 

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.

 

Please go to the Legislature's website, https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov, to submit written testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Create a free account on the website, or sign in to an existing account, then click on the "Participate" drop down menu and select the "Submit Testimony" option to get started. While submitting your written testimony, you will be prompted to indicate if you would also like to testify at the hearing in-person or remotely via videoconference.

 

Please note the following:

 

·         The number of oral testifiers and/or time allotted to each testifier may be limited by the Chair when necessary to adhere to the committee hearing schedule. We may not be able to accommodate everyone who requests to testify orally.

·         Testifiers for this hearing will be limited to 1:00 minute each.

 

If you wish to testify via videoconference during the hearing, please review the detailed step-by-step instructions for testimony procedures before you submit your written testimony. Here's a direct link to the instructions: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/testimonyinstructions.pdf

 

For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. You can also visit their website at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.

 

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 EDUcommittee@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 808-587-7200.

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Joy A. San Buenaventura

Chair

 

_____________________________________

Senator Donna Mercado Kim

Chair