SB 2231 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

Summary

Amends the State Internship and Workforce Development Program for the public sector by expanding the program to the Legislative and Judicial branches; limiting the internships to full-time placements of ten to eleven months; establishing eligibility criteria, application requirements, and selection preferences; and requiring the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to collaborate with coordinating agencies to promote the program and recruit eligible applicants. Appropriates funds. Effective 1/1/2077. (SD1)

Issues: ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 14, 2026 Last action Feb 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB2231 → SB2231_SD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the state internship program by modernizing its metadata and extending the effective date from July 2026 to January 2077. The most significant policy change is the removal of the requirement for interns to have a minimum 2.5 GPA, replacing it with a broader requirement to hold a bachelor's degree or specific credential by the program's start date. Additionally, the bill adds a new condition requiring official transcripts from all colleges attended to be submitted as a condition of employment.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on workforce development and state internships, but the eligibility criteria have been broadened to remove specific GPA thresholds while tightening documentation requirements for employment offers.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the Act was changed from July 1, 2026, to January 1, 2077.

ELIGIBILITY

The specific requirement for a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher was removed and replaced with a general requirement to have earned or be scheduled to earn a bachelor's degree or specific credential.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added mandating that official transcripts from every college or university an applicant attended must be submitted as a condition of employment.

TECHNICAL

Various metadata fields, including bill numbers, dates, and template versions, were updated to reflect the Senate's first reading (SD1).

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

Feb 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

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

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Committee

Reported from LBT (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2536) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.

upper

Feb 13, 2026

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) Elefante, Lamosao, Ihara, Moriwaki, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Feb 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on LBT has scheduled a public hearing on 02-13-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 26, 2026

Committee

Referred to LBT, WAM.

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and passed First Reading.

upper

Jan 14, 2026

Introduced

Pending Introduction.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors