SB 2875 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Summary

Requires the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to develop an alternative pathway for a visiting international educator permit aligned to the duration of the educator's J-1 visa program. Repeals 6/30/2031. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Immigration

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

SB2875 → SB2875_SD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill updates the legislative metadata to reflect its status as a Senate Draft (SD1) and modifies the effective date of the law from immediate approval to July 1, 2050. While the core policy text regarding the J-1 visa program remains largely intact, the significant change is the delayed implementation timeline, which postpones the creation of a new permit pathway for international teachers until 2050.

Scope change

The bill's applicability remains focused on the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board and international J-1 visa teachers, but the timeline for enforcement has been drastically extended.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the Act was changed from immediate approval to July 1, 2050, delaying the implementation of the new international educator permit pathway by decades.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated from 'SB2875' to 'SB2875 SD1' to indicate it is a Senate Draft version, and associated metadata fields were adjusted to reflect this status.

REQUIREMENT

The text formatting regarding the J-1 visa program's purpose and the specific requirements for international teachers was slightly restructured for clarity, though the substantive rules remained the same.

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 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to EDN, CPC, referral sheet 17

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Introduced

Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 312) in amended form (SD 1).

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading, as amended (SD 1). Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 1 (Senator(s) Awa). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.

upper

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

upper

Feb 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee on WAM has rescheduled its decision making to 03-02-26 10:02AM; CR 211 & Videoconference.

upper

Feb 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 03-02-26 10:31AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report adopted; Passed Second Reading and referred to WAM.

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Committee

Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2341) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading and referral to WAM.

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in EDU were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Kidani, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Fukunaga, Hashimoto.

upper

Feb 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 02-13-26 1:05PM; CR 229 & Videoconference.

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Committee

Referred to EDU, WAM.

upper

Jan 23, 2026

Introduced

Introduced.

upper

9 primary · 0 co-sponsors