---
type: "Bill"
title: "RELATING TO EDUCATION."
description: "Updates Hawaii's statutory framework for adult and community education programs to ensure alignment with federal funding requirements and current best practices in those programs. (CD1)"
jurisdiction: "us/states/hi"
legislature: "Hawaii Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 2297"
citation: "Hawaii HB 2297 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Adult and Community Education", "Department of Education", "Scope of Programs"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["NAKAMURA"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 46
vote_count: 8
first_action: "2026-01-26"
last_action: "2026-06-04"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4b03c39c-f091-4a7a-9f43-e24f06e7e79c"
source_url: "https://capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2297&year=2026"
source_hash: "854b0563606035175ff9cfe58f9c61b54d325096baab112531bb868e997f954f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-hi"]
---

# Hawaii HB 2297 (2026) — RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Updates Hawaii's statutory framework for adult and community education programs to ensure alignment with federal funding requirements and current best practices in those programs. (CD1)

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB2297** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB2297_.HTM)
2. **HB2297_CD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB2297_CD1_.HTM)
3. **HB2297_HD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB2297_HD1_.HTM)
4. **HB2297_SD1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB2297_SD1_.HTM)
5. **HB2297_SD2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/HB2297_SD2_.HTM)

## Votes

- Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). — **25–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **9–0** (pass) · lower
- The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **3–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **3–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. — **2–0** (pass) · lower
- Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). — **24–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- NAKAMURA — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-06-04** Act 083, on 06/04/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1183). `became-law`
- **2026-06-04** Act 083, 06/04/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1183). `became-law`
- **2026-05-07** Transmitted to Governor.
- **2026-05-08** Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888). `receipt`
- **2026-05-06** Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). `passage`
- **2026-05-05** Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 814). `receipt`
- **2026-05-01** Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Fukunaga). `passage`
- **2026-05-01** Deferred one day 05-06-26. `deferral`
- **2026-04-29** 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-01-26
- **2026-04-29** Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 24-26).
- **2026-04-29** Forty-eight (48) hours notice Friday, 05-01-26.
- **2026-04-29** Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 24-26) as amended in (CD 1).
- **2026-04-24** The 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, Kidani, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-04-24** The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 2 Ayes: Representative(s) La Chica, Lee, M.; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Souza.
- **2026-04-23** Conference committee meeting scheduled for 04-24-26 4:15PM; Conference Room 229.
- **2026-04-22** Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 719). `receipt`
- **2026-04-21** Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Kidani Co-Chair; DeCorte.
- **2026-04-20** Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786). `receipt`
- **2026-04-20** House Conferees Appointed: La Chica, Lee, M. Co-Chairs; Souza.
- **2026-04-17** Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 780). `receipt`
- **2026-04-16** House disagrees with Senate amendment (s). `amendment-failure`
- **2026-04-14** Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 677) in amended form (SD 2).
- **2026-04-14** Report adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 2). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House. `passage`
- **2026-04-09** 48 Hrs. Notice 04-14-26.
- **2026-04-09** Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3678) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading, as amended (SD 2).
- **2026-04-06** The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. 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.. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-04-01** The committee(s) on WAM deferred the measure until 04-06-26 10:31AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. `deferral`
- **2026-03-30** Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2026-03-30** The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-01-26 10:03AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
- **2026-03-30** Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3266) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
- **2026-03-20** The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Fukunaga. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-17** The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-20-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
- **2026-03-12** Referred to EDU, WAM. `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-12** Passed First Reading. `reading-1`
- **2026-03-12** Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 393). `introduction, receipt`
- **2026-03-10** Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Kong, Pierick excused (2). Transmitted to Senate. `passage`
- **2026-03-06** Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1032-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
- **2026-03-05** 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, Morikawa, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Perruso. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-03-05** Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 03-05-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- **2026-02-19** 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 none excused (0). `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2026-02-19** Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 486-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
- **2026-02-12** The 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. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2026-02-10** Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Thursday, 02-12-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- **2026-01-30** Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 5 `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-28** Introduced and Pass First Reading. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2026-01-26** Pending introduction.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4b03c39c-f091-4a7a-9f43-e24f06e7e79c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Hawaii legislature records).