THE SENATE
KA ‘AHA KENEKOA
INTERIM OF 2026
Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair
Senator Mike Gabbard, Vice Chair
Senator Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Chair
Senator Rachele Lamosao, Vice Chair
NOTICE OF INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING
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DATE: |
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 |
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TIME: |
12:30 p.m. |
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PLACE: |
Conference Room 225 & Videoconference State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL
BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY
A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.
A G E N D A
Informational Briefing on History of Native Hawaiian Programs and Institutions & Recent Lawsuits
The Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committees, in conjunction with the Native Hawaiian Affairs Caucus, are holding an informational briefing on public and private programs and institutions intended to support Native Hawaiian participants and recent legal challenges to those programs and institutions. This briefing will explore the historical context of the programs and institutions and the current political environment driving the litigation as well as provide an overview of some of the lawsuits.
1. Welcome and Introductions – Senator Karl Rhoads, Judiciary Committee Chair; Senator Tim Richards, Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chair; Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, Native Hawaiian Affairs Caucus Chair
2. Overview – Kaialiʻi Kahele, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
3.
Presentation
on the Background of Native Hawaiian-Focused Educational Programs and the
Context of Recent Lawsuits Challenging Kamehameha Schools (Students for Fair
Admission v. Trustees of the Estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop dba Kamehameha
Schools) and the Native Hawaiian Health Scholarship Program (Do No Harm
v. U.S. Dept. of Human Services) – Derek H. Kauanoe,
Assistant Professor of Law, University of Hawaiʻi at
Mānoa, William S. Richardson School of Law
Briefing
Materials from Professor Kauanoe
4.
Presentation
on the History of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and the Context of Recent Lawsuits
(Ryan v. Watson and Kalahiki v. Watson) – Tyler Iokepa Gomes, Chief
Administrator, Kilohana Collective, Hawaiian Council
Briefing
Materials from Administrator Gomes
5. Questions from Committee and Caucus Members (limited to 5 minutes per Member for Questions and Answers)
6. Concluding Remarks – Chair Keohokalole; Chair Richards; Chair Rhoads
Background Materials
1. Office of the Governor, Governor Green Statement on Lawsuit Challenging Hawaiian Homes Program (6/3/2026)
2. Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Federal lawsuit challenges Hawaiian Home Lands blood-quantum requirement (6/4/2026)
3. Star Advertiser, Federal lawsuit challenges Native Hawaiian health scholarship program (4/20/2026)
4. AP, Federal lawsuit challenges private school that gives preference to Native Hawaiians (10/20/2025)
5. Civil Beat, Native Hawaiian Benefits Face Sweeping Legal Attacks (9/7/2026)
As is the norm for informational briefings, no public testimony will be accepted.
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 [email protected]. 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) 586-6130.
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_____________________________________ Senator Herbert M. Richards, III Chair |
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_____________________________________ Senator Karl Rhoads Chair |
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_____________________________________ Senator Ronald D. Kouchi President of the Senate |