Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii SR145: Urging the Department of Education to Add Tax Instruction to Its Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement.
Status: Passed both chambers, April 9, 2026
What the bill says
From the engrossed text:
THE SENATE S.R. NO. THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 S.D. STATE OF HAWAII SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ADD TAX INSTRUCTION TO ITS FINANCIAL LITERACY GRADUATION REQUIREMENT. WHEREAS, as the old adage by Benjamin Franklin states, "in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes"; and WHEREAS, according to the Tax Foundation's 2024 National Tax Literacy Poll, the majority of respondents did not know or were not sure of basic tax concepts related to income tax filing, with only two percent classified as proficient in tax knowledge; and WHEREAS, more than half of states nationwide have mandated II or are in the process of implementing financial literacy education requirements in high schools; and WHEREAS, starting with the Class of 2030, all Hawaii public school students will be required to complete a financial literacy educational opportunity; and WHEREAS, schools may meet this requirement through a variety of instructional approaches, including a standalone elective course, integration into existing courses, self-paced learning options, or other instructional designs that align with the Department of Education's (Department) financial literacy program standards; and WHEREAS, the standards developed by the Department's Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design are based on the 2021 National Standards for Personal Finance Education from the Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy; and WHEREAS, the …
Sponsors
- Brenton Awa (R, 23) · primary sponsor
- Mike Gabbard (D, 21)
- Angus McKelvey (D, 6)
Latest actions
- : Certified copies of resolutions sent, 05-12-26.
- : Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD 1).
- : One Day Notice 04-09-26.
- : Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3599) with recommendation of adoption, as amended (SD 1).
- : The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Kidani, Fukunaga, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
- : The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 04-08-26 1:03PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
- : Referred to EDU.
- : Offered.
Votes
- EDU: recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (April 8, 2026): 5 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: DOE
Common questions
- What is SR145?
- SR145 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Urging the Department of Education to Add Tax Instruction to Its Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement.
- What is the status of SR145?
- Passed both chambers as of April 9, 2026. Latest action: Certified copies of resolutions sent, 05-12-26. (May 12, 2026).
- Who sponsored SR145?
- Brenton Awa (R, 23), with 2 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for SR145?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SR&billnumber=145&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.