Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii HB146: Relating to the Judiciary's Lelo Hawai I Initiatives.
Status: In committee, March 12, 2026
Appropriates funds to support the Olelo Hawaii Initiatives .
What the bill says
A bill for an act relating to the judiciary's 'olelo hawai'i initiatives.
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE JUDICIARY'S 'OLELO HAWAI'I INITIATIVES. SECTION 1. The legislature finds that article XV, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution affirms that English and 'Olelo Hawai'i (Hawaiian language) shall be the official languages of the State. The legislature also finds that the Hawaii State Constitution provides for the preservation and promotion of native Hawaiian culture, history, and language in various provisions, including article X, section 4, which states, "[t]he State shall promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history and language." The legislature further finds that the judiciary has already taken initial steps to explore ways of providing 'Olelo Hawai'i resources and interpreter and translation services to the public. To advance this work, in 2015, the legislature adopted a concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution No. 217, Senate Draft 1, Regular Session of 2015, that requested the judiciary to convene a task force to examine and report on establishing ~Dlelo Hawai'i resources for the judiciary. The 2026--1938 HB146 HD2 HMSO NO. H.B. Page2 H.D.2 task force report made several findings, including that 'Olelo Hawai'i "possesses appropriate specificity, sophistication, and technical breadth of terminology to accurately translate legal terminology from English into 'Olelo Hawai'i". Additionally, according to the United States Census Bureau's 2009--2013 American Community Survey Five--Year Estimates, 'Olelo Hawai'i ranks number five in languages other …
Sponsors
- David Tarnas (D, 8) · primary sponsor
- Della Belatti (D, 26)
- Cory Chun (D, 35)
- Luke Evslin (D, 16)
- Diamond Garcia (R, 42)
- Andrew Garrett (D, 22)
- Kim Iwamoto (D, 25)
- Kirstin Kahaloa (D, 6)
- Lisa Kitagawa (D, 48)
- Lisa Marten (D, 51)
- Daynette Morikawa (D, HD-017)
- Ikaika Olds (D, 23)
Latest actions
- : Referred to JDC/HWN, WAM.
- : Passed First Reading.
- : Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 226).
- : Passed Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Kong, Pierick excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
- : Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 03-10-26.
- : Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1084-26) as amended in HD 2, recommending passage on Third Reading.
- : The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Reyes Oda; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
- : Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 02-26-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- : Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
- : Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Belatti, Cochran, Kila, Ward excused (4).
Votes
- Third Reading as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Kong, Pierick excused (2) (March 10, 2026): 49 yea, 0 nay, passed
- FIN: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (February 26, 2026): 16 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Belatti, Cochran, Kila, Ward excused (4) (February 10, 2025): 47 yea, 0 nay, passed
- JHA: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (January 30, 2025): 9 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Report, The Judiciary'S Ō Lelo Hawai I Initiatives, Appropriations, Study
Common questions
- What is HB146?
- HB146 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Relating to the Judiciary's Lelo Hawai I Initiatives.
- What does HB146 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act relating to the judiciary's 'olelo hawai'i initiatives.
- What is the status of HB146?
- In committee as of March 12, 2026. Latest action: Referred to JDC/HWN, WAM. (March 12, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB146?
- David Tarnas (D, 8), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB146?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=146&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.