SCR 169 Hawaii Senate · 2026 Regular Session

ESTABLISHING A SISTER-STATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STATE OF HAWAII, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE PREFECTURE OF YAMAGATA, JAPAN.

This bill establishes a formal sister-state relationship between the State of Hawaii and Yamagata Prefecture in Japan to strengthen existing cultural, economic, and people-to-people ties. The resolution encourages collaboration in specific areas including sustainable tourism, agriculture and food security, education and workforce development, clean energy, and cultural exchange. It authorizes the Governor to work with Yamagata officials to create memoranda of understanding and implement pilot programs focused on culinary exchanges, joint cultural events, student and professional exchanges, and sustainable development initiatives. The bill directs that copies be sent to relevant state and federal officials to facilitate the partnership.

Issues: ✓ Energy

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Governor

Introduced Mar 16, 2026 Last action May 12, 2026

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What changed between versions

SCR169 → SCR169_SD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was amended to designate it as a Senate Draft (SD1), updating the sponsor's name and contact information to reflect a new legislator. The text was reformatted for clarity, and the resolution was expanded to include the Chairperson of the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission as a recipient of the certified copies, ensuring broader institutional involvement in the sister-state relationship.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's procedural recipients was expanded to include the Chairperson of the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and metadata were updated to reflect a new Senate Draft version (SD1) with a revised sponsor, Gregory LaMontagne.

Formatting and line breaks were adjusted throughout the document to improve readability and align with the new template structure.

REQUIREMENT

The list of officials receiving certified copies of the resolution was updated to add the Chairperson of the Hawaii Sister-State and International Partnerships Commission.

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

Apr 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

Resolution adopted in final form.

upper

Apr 22, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 805).

upper

Apr 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).

lower

Apr 21, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported from ECD (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2241-26), recommending adoption.

lower

Apr 17, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on ECD recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Ilagan, Hussey, Ratcliffe, Templo, Yamashita; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Tam, Gedeon.

lower

Apr 10, 2026

Committee

Referred to ECD, referral sheet 28

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Introduced

Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 497) in amended form (SD 1).

lower

Apr 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD 1). Transmitted to House.

upper

Apr 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported from WLA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3554) with recommendation of adoption, as amended (SD 1).

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WLA recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WLA were as follows: 4 Aye(s): Senator(s) Lee, C., Inouye, Lamosao, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Chang.

upper

Mar 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

The committee(s) on WLA has scheduled a public hearing on 03-30-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.

upper

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to WLA.

upper

Mar 16, 2026

Introduced

Offered.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors