HB 2344HawaiiProcess complete

Commission would review public schools and recommend closures

A temporary nine-member commission would review Hawaii public schools, recommend consolidations or closures, and send one package to the governor and legislature.

What it does

A temporary nine-member commission would study public school facilities and recommend one statewide package of consolidations, realignments, or closures using public hearings and set criteria.

The governor would approve or reject the commission’s full package, followed by an all-or-nothing legislative vote; approved recommendations would guide school actions by July 1, 2028.

Up to $100,000 in state general revenues would support the commission during fiscal year 2026–2027, with funding starting July 1, 2026.

Argument forA statewide review using enrollment, building condition, costs, and equity could help decision-makers compare schools using the same information.

Argument againstBecause approved recommendations could bind education agencies and lead to school closures, affected communities may have limited ability to change the final package.

More detail

A nine-member commission would review public school facilities and recommend school consolidations, realignments, or closures. The commission would include appointees from the governor, Senate president, and House speaker. Current elected officials, lobbyists, and certain education agency officials could not serve. Members would have expertise in areas such as public finance, planning, education administration, or facilities management. The commission would hold public hearings before adopting review criteria. The criteria would consider enrollment, building condition, operating costs, capacity, nearby schools, property reuse, and effects on disadvantaged students. The commission would submit one comprehensive report to the governor and legislature by October 1, 2027, and would cease to exist on June 30, 2028.

The governor and legislature would decide whether to approve the commission’s complete report, and approved recommendations would be implemented by the education system. The governor would act on the original or revised report without amendments. The Board of Education and Department of Education would carry out approved recommendations. If the governor rejects the report, the commission could submit one revised report. A second rejection would end the process. The legislature would vote on the report as a whole during the 2028 regular session. Recommendations would become binding if the legislature approves them or does not adopt a resolution rejecting them by the session’s adjournment. Property from a school closed under the process would go to the school facilities authority for sale or lease, with proceeds placed in a school facilities fund. The governor’s first decision would be due November 15, 2027; a revised decision would be due January 1, 2028. The education agencies would implement approved recommendations by July 1, 2028.

The text would set aside up to $100,000 for the commission’s operating costs. The Department of Accounting and General Services would spend the money for the commission’s work. The amount would come from the state’s general revenues. The commission’s work and funding would be subject to the bill’s other provisions. The funding provision would take effect July 1, 2026, and would cover fiscal year 2026–2027. The rest of the Act would take effect upon approval.

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More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 26
Passed HouseMar 6
Passed SenateApr 14
To Governor
Became LawJul 15

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 15Act 264, 07/15/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1367).Latest
2. Jul 15Act 264, on 07/15/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1367).Became Law
3. Jun 26Notice of Intent to veto dated 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1264)
4. Jun 26Notice of intent to veto (Gov. Msg. No. 1264)
5. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
6. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
7. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Fukunaga. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Elefante). Excused, 0 (none).Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
8. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Iwamoto voting no (1) and none excused (0).Major
9. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
10. May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 4:00PM in conference room 229.
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
11. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, Yamashita, La Chica, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
12. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) DeCorte.Minor
13. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 149-26) as amended in (CD 1).
14. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
15. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 149-26).
16. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
17. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 1:30PM in conference room 229.
18. Apr 29Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-30-26 1:34PM; Conference Room 229.
19. Apr 23Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 725).Minor
20. Apr 22Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Hashimoto Co-Chair; DeCorte.
21. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Woodson, Yamashita Co-Chairs; La Chica, Souza.
22. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
23. Apr 17Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).Minor
24. Apr 16House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
25. Apr 14Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Fukunaga. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Elefante). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Result: pass.Upper
26. Apr 14Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 682) in amended form (SD 2).
27. Apr 10Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3718) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
28. Apr 1048 Hrs. Notice 04-14-26.
29. Apr 6The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 9 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Hashimoto, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 3 No(es): Senator(s) Elefante, Inouye, Fevella; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C..Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
30. Apr 1The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-06-26 10:32AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
31. Mar 30Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3382) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
32. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
33. Mar 23The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Kidani, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fukunaga.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
34. Mar 18The committee(s) on EDU deferred the measure until 03-23-26 1:10PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.Minor
35. Mar 16The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
36. Mar 10Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 205).Minor
37. Mar 10Passed First Reading.Minor
38. Mar 10Referred to EDU, WAM.Minor
39. Mar 6Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 962-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
40. Mar 6Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Iwamoto voting no (1) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
41. Mar 3The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Perruso, Gedeon; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
42. Feb 27Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 03-03-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
43. Feb 19Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 490-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
44. Feb 19Passed 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 none excused (0).Minor
45. Feb 12The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Amato, Olds; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Garrett.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
46. Feb 10Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Thursday, 02-12-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
47. Feb 2Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 6Minor
48. Jan 28Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
49. Jan 26Pending introduction.Introduced

EducationGovernment & EthicsTaxes & Budget

Issue with this bill?

HB 2344HawaiiProcess complete

Commission would review public schools and recommend closures

A temporary nine-member commission would review Hawaii public schools, recommend consolidations or closures, and send one package to the governor and legislature.

What it does

A temporary nine-member commission would study public school facilities and recommend one statewide package of consolidations, realignments, or closures using public hearings and set criteria.

The governor would approve or reject the commission’s full package, followed by an all-or-nothing legislative vote; approved recommendations would guide school actions by July 1, 2028.

Up to $100,000 in state general revenues would support the commission during fiscal year 2026–2027, with funding starting July 1, 2026.

Argument forA statewide review using enrollment, building condition, costs, and equity could help decision-makers compare schools using the same information.

Argument againstBecause approved recommendations could bind education agencies and lead to school closures, affected communities may have limited ability to change the final package.

More detail

Where do you stand?

Tell your reps

Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.

More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 26
Passed HouseMar 6
Passed SenateApr 14
To Governor
Became LawJul 15

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 15Act 264, 07/15/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1367).Latest
2. Jul 15Act 264, on 07/15/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1367).Became Law
3. Jun 26Notice of Intent to veto dated 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1264)
4. Jun 26Notice of intent to veto (Gov. Msg. No. 1264)
5. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
6. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
7. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Fukunaga. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Elefante). Excused, 0 (none).Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Result: pass.Upper
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
8. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Iwamoto voting no (1) and none excused (0).Major
9. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
10. May 1Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 4:00PM in conference room 229.
  - Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
  - Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
11. May 1The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, Yamashita, La Chica, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
12. May 1The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 2 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) DeCorte.Minor
13. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 149-26) as amended in (CD 1).
14. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
15. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 149-26).
16. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
17. Apr 30Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 1:30PM in conference room 229.
18. Apr 29Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-30-26 1:34PM; Conference Room 229.
19. Apr 23Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 725).Minor
20. Apr 22Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Hashimoto Co-Chair; DeCorte.
21. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Woodson, Yamashita Co-Chairs; La Chica, Souza.
22. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
23. Apr 17Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780).Minor
24. Apr 16House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
25. Apr 14Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Fukunaga. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Elefante). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Result: pass.Upper
26. Apr 14Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 682) in amended form (SD 2).
27. Apr 10Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3718) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
28. Apr 1048 Hrs. Notice 04-14-26.
29. Apr 6The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 9 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Hashimoto, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 3 No(es): Senator(s) Elefante, Inouye, Fevella; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C..Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
30. Apr 1The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-06-26 10:32AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
31. Mar 30Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3382) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
32. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
33. Mar 23The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Kidani, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fukunaga.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
34. Mar 18The committee(s) on EDU deferred the measure until 03-23-26 1:10PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.Minor
35. Mar 16The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
36. Mar 10Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 205).Minor
37. Mar 10Passed First Reading.Minor
38. Mar 10Referred to EDU, WAM.Minor
39. Mar 6Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 962-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
40. Mar 6Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Iwamoto voting no (1) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
41. Mar 3The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Perruso, Gedeon; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
42. Feb 27Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 03-03-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
43. Feb 19Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 490-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
  - Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
44. Feb 19Passed 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 none excused (0).Minor
45. Feb 12The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Amato, Olds; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Garrett.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
46. Feb 10Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Thursday, 02-12-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
47. Feb 2Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 6Minor
48. Jan 28Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
49. Jan 26Pending introduction.Introduced

EducationGovernment & EthicsTaxes & Budget

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What it does

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More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History

What it does

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More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History