SB 1503 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

Summary

Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to develop and implement training programs, public-private partnerships, funding opportunities, and recruitment strategies to develop a local workforce to meet the growing demand in defense-related personnel and promote economic diversification. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Issues: ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB1503_HD1 → SB1503_SD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to transition from a House draft to a Senate version, primarily updating metadata, author names, and template numbers. The most significant substantive change is the effective date, which was moved from July 1, 3000, to July 1, 2050, likely to align with a specific long-term strategic goal or a correction in the original drafting. Minor text adjustments were made to standardize the formatting of defense-related job categories and the description of program evaluation requirements.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on developing a local workforce for defense-related industries, but the timeline for implementation has been extended significantly.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the Act was changed from July 1, 3000, to July 1, 2050.

TECHNICAL

Author names and bill metadata were updated to reflect the Senate version (SD1) instead of the House version (HD1).

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the list of high-demand fields and program evaluation metrics to ensure consistency.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 18, 2025

Committee

Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1323) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.

lower

Mar 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.

lower

Mar 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to LAB, FIN, referral sheet 19

lower

Mar 4, 2025

Introduced

Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 358) in amended form (SD 1).

lower

Mar 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.

upper

Feb 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 11 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, Aquino, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kim, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Lee, C..

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-28-25 10:35AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.

upper

Feb 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.

upper

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 201) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on LBT recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in LBT were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Aquino, Lee, C., Ihara, Moriwaki, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Jan 31, 2025

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-03-25 3:30PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 27, 2025

Committee

Referred to LBT, WAM.

upper

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and passed First Reading.

upper

Jan 22, 2025

Introduced

Pending Introduction.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors