HB 1785HawaiiProcess complete

Schools may replace bus services after missed routes

If approved, schools could temporarily replace a bus contractor’s missed routes after five consecutive instructional days, with the governor’s written approval.

What it does

After a contractor misses a route for at least five consecutive school days, the Department of Education may remove or suspend it and arrange temporary service with the governor’s written approval.

Contractors without an approved reason would owe 25 percent of the route’s daily contract amount for every day they fail to provide service.

Argument forTemporary replacement agreements could help students keep receiving transportation when a contractor leaves routes unserved.

Argument againstShort-term replacement agreements could continue for up to thirty months, leaving students dependent on temporary service while a permanent provider is sought.

More detail

The Department of Education may recommend that the governor suspend or remove missed routes from a contractor’s agreement, then arrange temporary service with another qualified carrier after written approval. This applies to a contracted student transportation route that a contractor does not serve for five or more consecutive instructional days. The governor may set conditions, deadlines, and other limits on the route change. A temporary agreement may cover only the suspended or removed routes and must follow student safety standards. The temporary agreement may avoid the state’s usual public-procurement process and may last no more than thirty months. The department must seek a permanent replacement through competitive procurement within thirty months after signing a temporary agreement. The route action may be considered after five or more consecutive missed instructional days and takes effect only after the governor gives written approval; a temporary agreement may last up to thirty months.

The Department of Education must assess a penalty against a contractor that misses a contracted route without an approved justification. The penalty applies to each day that an unjustified contracted route goes unserved. The penalty is twenty-five percent of the route’s daily contract amount for each unfulfilled day. Penalty money goes into the school bus fare revolving fund and may help pay for replacement services. The remaining parts of the contractor’s agreement stay valid and enforceable. The penalty applies for each day the route remains unfulfilled, subject to the bill’s effective date and its rule protecting earlier penalties and proceedings.

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More on this bill

Where it stands

IntroducedJan 21
Passed HouseMar 6
Passed SenateApr 10
To Governor
Became LawJul 14

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 14Act 238, 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1340).Latest
2. Jul 14Act 238, on 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1340).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
5. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 108-26) as amended in (CD 1).
9. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 108-26).
11. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
12. Apr 30The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) La Chica, Lee, M., Olds, Woodson, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - 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
13. Apr 30The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
14. Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 2:45PM in conference room 229.
15. Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 3:00PM in conference room 229.
16. Apr 27Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Hashimoto Co-Chair; DeCorte.
17. Apr 27Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 778).Minor
18. Apr 27Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-28-26 2:55PM; Conference Room 229.
19. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: La Chica, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Olds, Woodson, Souza.
20. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
21. Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 599).Minor
22. Apr 14House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
23. Apr 10Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
24. Apr 10Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 527) in amended form (SD 1).
25. Apr 9Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3637) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
26. Apr 9One Day Notice 04-10-26.
27. Apr 7The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C..Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
28. Apr 2The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-07-26 10:31AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
29. Mar 30Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3386) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
30. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
31. 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
32. Mar 18The committee(s) on EDU deferred the measure until 03-23-26 1:10PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.Minor
33. Mar 16The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
34. Mar 10Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 157).Minor
35. Mar 10Passed First Reading.Minor
36. Mar 10Referred to EDU, WAM.Minor
37. Mar 6Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 949-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
38. Mar 6Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
39. 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, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
40. Feb 27Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 03-03-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
41. Feb 19Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 488-26) 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
42. 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
43. 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, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 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
44. Feb 10Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Thursday, 02-12-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
45. Jan 26Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 1Minor
46. Jan 22Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
47. Jan 21Pending introduction.Introduced

EducationTransportationPublic Safety

Issue with this bill?

HB 1785HawaiiProcess complete

Schools may replace bus services after missed routes

If approved, schools could temporarily replace a bus contractor’s missed routes after five consecutive instructional days, with the governor’s written approval.

What it does

After a contractor misses a route for at least five consecutive school days, the Department of Education may remove or suspend it and arrange temporary service with the governor’s written approval.

Contractors without an approved reason would owe 25 percent of the route’s daily contract amount for every day they fail to provide service.

Argument forTemporary replacement agreements could help students keep receiving transportation when a contractor leaves routes unserved.

Argument againstShort-term replacement agreements could continue for up to thirty months, leaving students dependent on temporary service while a permanent provider is sought.

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 21
Passed HouseMar 6
Passed SenateApr 10
To Governor
Became LawJul 14

Looking ahead

No hearings or votes scheduled.

History

2026
1. Jul 14Act 238, 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1340).Latest
2. Jul 14Act 238, on 07/13/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1340).Became Law
3. May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
4. May 7Transmitted to Governor.
5. May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
  - Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
6. May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
7. May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
8. May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 108-26) as amended in (CD 1).
9. May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
10. May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 108-26).
11. May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
12. Apr 30The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) La Chica, Lee, M., Olds, Woodson, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - 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
13. Apr 30The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
14. Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 2:45PM in conference room 229.
15. Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 3:00PM in conference room 229.
16. Apr 27Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Hashimoto Co-Chair; DeCorte.
17. Apr 27Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 778).Minor
18. Apr 27Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-28-26 2:55PM; Conference Room 229.
19. Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: La Chica, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Olds, Woodson, Souza.
20. Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
21. Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 599).Minor
22. Apr 14House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
23. Apr 10Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
  - Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
24. Apr 10Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 527) in amended form (SD 1).
25. Apr 9Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3637) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
26. Apr 9One Day Notice 04-10-26.
27. Apr 7The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C..Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
28. Apr 2The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-07-26 10:31AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
29. Mar 30Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3386) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
30. Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
31. 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
32. Mar 18The committee(s) on EDU deferred the measure until 03-23-26 1:10PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.Minor
33. Mar 16The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-18-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
34. Mar 10Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 157).Minor
35. Mar 10Passed First Reading.Minor
36. Mar 10Referred to EDU, WAM.Minor
37. Mar 6Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 949-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
  - Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
38. Mar 6Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
39. 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, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
  - Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
40. Feb 27Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 03-03-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
41. Feb 19Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 488-26) 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
42. 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
43. 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, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 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
44. Feb 10Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Thursday, 02-12-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
45. Jan 26Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 1Minor
46. Jan 22Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
47. Jan 21Pending introduction.Introduced

EducationTransportationPublic Safety

Issue with this bill?

What it does

Where do you stand?

Choose your position

Tell your reps

More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History

What it does

Where do you stand?

Choose your position

Tell your reps

More on this bill

Where it stands

Looking ahead

History