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HCR 122 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO CONSIDER OFFERING OLELO HAWAII MICRO-CREDENTIALS FOCUSING ON OLELO NIIHAU.

This bill requests the University of Hawaii to create a specific language pathway for the Niihau dialect of Hawaiian, recognizing it as distinct from other Hawaiian language programs. The resolution acknowledges that Niihau speakers maintain a unique dialect due to the island's isolation and continued use of Hawaiian as their primary language of thought. It aims to protect this linguistic heritage by formally requesting the university to accommodate Niihau-specific language education rather than integrating it into general Hawaiian language curricula. The measure directs a copy of the resolution to the University of Hawaii System president to facilitate implementation of this educational pathway.
Issues: ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill requests University of Hawaii to create language pathway for Niihau dialect, protecting linguistic heritage and expanding educational access for Hawaiian language education90% confidence
Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Governor
Introduced Mar 16, 2026 Last action May 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HCR122 → HCR122_SD1 · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to shift the University of Hawaii's obligation from simply 'allowing' a specific Niihau dialect pathway to 'considering' the broader offering of micro-credentials focused on the Niihau dialect. This change softens the legislative mandate, giving the university more discretion in how it addresses the preservation of the Niihau language.
Scope change
The scope of the requested action was narrowed from a specific curriculum pathway to a general consideration of micro-credentials, and the target audience was broadened from native speakers to include new speakers.
REQUIREMENT

The request to the University of Hawaii was changed from a mandatory directive to 'allow' a specific Olelo Hawaii pathway to a non-binding request to 'consider' offering Olelo Hawaii micro-credentials.

SCOPE

The specific focus was broadened from a single 'Olelo Hawaii Pathway' to 'micro-credentials,' allowing for a more flexible educational approach.

DEFINITION

The 'WHEREAS' clauses were updated to clarify that the Niihau dialect is distinct from standard Olelo Hawaii and to highlight the risk of language attrition due to external pressure.

TECHNICAL

The report title was updated to reflect the change from a 'Language Pathway' to 'Micro-credentials'.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
25
Key actions
12
Committee
10
Amendments
2
May 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
Resolution adopted in final form.
lower
May 8, 2026
Lower · Passed
Adopted as amended in SD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Hussey, Kong, Quinlan excused (3).
lower
May 8, 2026
Introduced
House agrees to Senate amendment(s).
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Introduced
Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 734) in amended form (SD 1).
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD 1). Transmitted to House.
upper
Apr 22, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from EDU/HWN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3871) with recommendation of adoption, as amended (SD 1).
upper
Apr 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
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, Fukunaga, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Hashimoto.
upper
Apr 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on HWN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in HWN were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Richards, Lamosao, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Ihara, Keohokalole.
upper
Apr 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on EDU/HWN has scheduled a public hearing on 04-20-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
upper
Apr 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to EDU/HWN.
upper
Apr 10, 2026
Introduced
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 567).
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1).
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from JHA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1876-26), recommending adoption.
lower
Apr 7, 2026
Lower · Passed
The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Hashem, Kahaloa, Takayama, Garcia, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Sayama, Cochran.
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Nakamura, Perruso excused (2).
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Committee
Reported from HED (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1572-26), recommending referral to JHA.
lower
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
The committee on HED recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Garrett, Amato, Kapela, Kila, La Chica, Olds, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Evslin, Woodson, Muraoka.
lower
Mar 18, 2026
Committee
Referred to HED, JHA, referral sheet 19
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Introduced
Offered
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Darius Kila
Darius Kila
DDemocratic
HI
44