Hawaii HR171: Requesting the Department of Education to Convene a Shared-decision Making Committee to Develop an Action Plan to Establish a k-12 Kaiapuni School in Kapolei.

What the bill says

From the engrossed text:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES h IN THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D. STATE OF HAWAII U HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CONVENE A SHAREDDECISION MAKING COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN TO ESTABLISH A K-12 KAIAPUNI SCHOOL IN KAPOLEI. WHEREAS, the State has a duty to ensure access to 'Olelo Hawai'± education pursuant to article X, section 4, of the Constitution of the State of Hawai'i, which requires the State to "promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history, and language"; and WHEREAS, the establishment of Kaiapuni schools, or Hawaiian language immersion schools, which educate in 'Olelo Hawai'i, is one way the State is intentionally adhering to its constitutional obligations and fulfilling its commitment to preserving Hawaiian language for future generations; and WHEREAS, accordingly, the Board of Education is implementing a Kaiapuni Strategic Plan to grow Kaiapuni programs to meet demand and expand access across the State; and WHEREAS, there are only three Kaiapuni schools on O'ahu that serve students in grades kindergarten through twelve, Ke Kula Kaiapuni '0 PU'Ohala and Ke Kula '0 Samuel M. Kamakau in Käne'ohe and Ke Kula Kaiapuni '0 Anuenue in Honolulu; and WHEREAS, Kapolei High School currently only offers Kaiapuni education for grade nine, and Kapolei Middle School only offers Kaiapuni education for grades seven and eight; and WHEREAS, many students in the 'Ewa land …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Trish La Chica (D, 37) · primary sponsor
• Terez Amato (D, 11)
• Della Belatti (D, 26)
• Diamond Garcia (R, 42)
• Tina Grandinetti (D, 20)
• Ikaika Hussey (D, 29)
• Kim Iwamoto (D, 25)
• Kirstin Kahaloa (D, 6)
• Jeanne Kapela (D, 5)
• Susan Keohokapu-Lee Loy (D, 2)
• Matthias Kusch (D, 1)
• Nicole Lowen (D, 7)

Latest actions

1. April 9, 2026: Resolution adopted in final form.
2. April 9, 2026: Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1).
3. April 9, 2026: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1935-26), recommending adoption.
4. April 7, 2026: The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Morikawa.
5. April 2, 2026: Scheduled for decision making on Tuesday, 04-07-26 10:05AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
6. April 2, 2026: Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).
7. April 2, 2026: Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1768-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending referral to FIN.
8. March 31, 2026: The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Olds; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 4 Excused: Representative(s) Garrett, Kila, Muraoka, Souza.
9. March 25, 2026: Resolution scheduled to be heard by EDN on Tuesday, 03-31-26 2:00PM in conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
10. March 18, 2026: Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 19

Votes

• Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1) (April 9, 2026): 50 yea, 0 nay, passed
• FIN: recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (April 7, 2026): 15 yea, 0 nay, passed
• Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0) (April 2, 2026): 51 yea, 0 nay, passed
• EDN: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (March 31, 2026): 6 yea, 0 nay, passed

Common questions

What is HR171?

HR171 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Requesting the Department of Education to Convene a Shared-decision Making Committee to Develop an Action Plan to Establish a k-12 Kaiapuni School in Kapolei.

What is the status of HR171?

Passed both chambers as of April 9, 2026. Latest action: Resolution adopted in final form. (April 9, 2026).

Who sponsored HR171?

Trish La Chica (D, 37), with 11 co-sponsors.

Where is the official record for HR171?

On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HR&billnumber=171&year=2026