KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2026
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Senator Donna Mercado Kim, Chair |
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Senator Michelle N. Kidani, Vice Chair |
NOTICE OF HEARING
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DATE: |
Friday, February 13, 2026 |
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TIME: |
1:05 PM |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 229 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
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 G E
N D A
The following four 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.
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RELATING TO THE GENERAL FUND. Requires that excess funds in the University of Hawaii tuition and fees special fund at the end of the fiscal year lapse to the credit of the general fund.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII. Requires the Board of Regents to expend funds appropriated to renew, improve, or modernize existing University of Hawaii facilities for only those purposes and not for current, ongoing, or anticipated capital improvement projects. Requires annual reports to the Legislature.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII. Authorizes the use of the University of Hawaii tuition and special fees fund to conduct donor evaluations. Requires the related report to the Legislature include any donor evaluations conducted using moneys from the fund.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS. Prohibits active employees of the University of Hawaii or the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii from serving on the Board of Regents.
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EDU, JDC |
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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.
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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 EDUCATION. Requires the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to develop an alternative pathway for a visiting international educator permit aligned to the duration of the educator's J-1 visa program. Repeals 6/30/2031.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO EDUCATION. Requires the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to develop an alternative pathway for a visiting international educator permit aligned to the duration of the educator's J-1 visa program. Repeals 6/30/2031.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO EDUCATION. Repeals the Complex Area Superintendent position. Clarifies that School Community Councils shall submit principal evaluations to the Superintendent of Education, who shall have final authority to appoint a principal. Requires the Department of Education to adopt rules.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO STUDENT TRANSPORTATION. Authorizes the Department of Education to hire a new contractor if a contractor under a student transportation contract fails to provide service on a contracted route for five or more consecutive instructional days. Requires the Department to assess a penalty if a contractor fails to provide service on a contracted route without an approved justification. Specifies that the assessed penalties be deposited into the school bus fare revolving fund. Authorizes the use of the school bus fare revolving fund to offset costs associated with procuring replacement services.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROCUREMENT. Authorizes the Department of Education to expend up to 5% more to procure local edible produce and packaged food products, compared to non-local alternatives.
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EDU, WAM |
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RELATING TO SCHOOL CAFETERIA MEAL COSTS. Requires the Department of Education to charge not less than one-quarter of the cost of preparing a school meal for each school meal.
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EDU, WAM |
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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.
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_____________________________________ Senator Donna Mercado Kim Chair |
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