This Senate Resolution requests the State Auditor to perform quarterly performance and management audits of the Department of Education and its related agencies. The bill aims to address concerns about the current internal audit structure by having an independent external auditor evaluate program effectiveness, leadership, federal fund usage, and school plans. These audits will rotate among different departments and must cover at least two performance and two management reviews each year. The Department of Education and its agencies are asked to use the audit results to adjust programs and resource allocation to better support student success and workforce preparation.
This bill is a House Resolution that urges the Hawaii Department of Education to officially recognize robotics as an interscholastic sport and to allocate state funding to support robotics programs across the state. The resolution highlights that robotics programs currently face challenges due to insufficient resources, a lack of mentors, and inconsistent funding, which has led to the decline of several teams. It calls on the Department of Education to conduct an assessment to determine the appropriate level of fiscal support needed to maintain these programs and directs copies of the resolution to key education officials. The measure does not create new funding but requests the department to evaluate and potentially dedicate existing resources to sustain robotics education initiatives.
Appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services to issue supplemental contracts to community-based organizations to address increases in costs related to labor, insurance, utilities, rent, and gas. For any multi-year contracts entered into or renewed beginning in fiscal year 2027-2028, requires the Department of Human Services to issue a Request for Information to determine whether any existing contract remains fiscally sound and thereafter determine, with the consent of the contractor, whether a new request for proposals should be issued. Effective 7/1/3000. (SD1)
This bill proposes emergency funding to cover unpaid arbitration awards related to temporary hazard pay for public employees in Collective Bargaining Units 1 and 10, which include blue collar workers and institutional, health, and correctional workers. The legislation directs the state to allocate approximately $67.3 million from general funds, interdepartmental transfers, and revolving funds to resolve outstanding financial obligations from pandemic-era hazard pay disputes. These additional appropriations supplement existing funding from Act 29 of 2025 and apply to the University of Hawaii and other state executive branch departments, though the Department of Education remains excluded as its matters are still unresolved. The bill includes standard provisions for fund allotment and specifies that any unspent money must be returned to the state treasury by June 30, 2026.
This bill urges the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission to take additional steps to ensure candidate committees fully comply with state campaign finance laws. The resolution specifically requests the commission to conduct automatic audits of committees spending over $500,000, subsidize independent audit costs, and create clear rules defining what constitutes a defective campaign report. It also asks the commission to offer more frequent training sessions outside normal business hours to accommodate volunteer campaign workers. The bill does not create new laws or impose new requirements but instead encourages the commission to use its existing authority to improve compliance through audits, clearer guidelines, and better training opportunities.
This Senate Resolution requests the State Auditor to review no-bid contracts issued by state and county agencies during declared states of emergency between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. The audit will examine how agencies justified these contracts, selected vendors, determined pricing, and maintained accountability for public funds during emergency periods. The Auditor will submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Legislature by the start of the 2027 session. This measure aims to identify potential reforms to emergency procurement laws based on past practices.
This bill is a House Concurrent Resolution that urges the U.S. Congress to call a constitutional convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, limited to proposing amendments that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit federal power and jurisdiction, and restrict terms of office for federal officials and members of Congress. The resolution applies on behalf of the State of Hawaii and includes specific conditions, such as reserving the right for states to recall delegates if they breach instructions and explicitly excluding any amendments that would change the Bill of Rights. It also states that Congress should only call the convention after receiving applications from two-thirds of state legislatures and should not set rules for the convention or determine delegate numbers. The bill does not change any laws or policies directly but serves as a formal request to the federal government to initiate a process for potential constitutional amendments.
This bill, signed into law by Governor Josh Green on March 20, 2026, provides state funding to cover the operating expenses of Hawaii's legislature, auditor's office, legislative reference bureau, ombudsman, and ethics commission for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The legislation allocates approximately $13 million to the Senate and $17.8 million to the House of Representatives for session and non-session expenses, including costs for legislative information systems and public broadcasting of legislative proceedings. It also funds the auditor's office with nearly $4 million for regular operations and special studies, while establishing rules for interim expense approvals and requiring financial audits to be completed before January 20, 2027.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution asks the State Auditor to examine no-bid contracts awarded by state and county agencies during declared states of emergency between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025. The audit will review how agencies justified these contracts, selected vendors, determined pricing, and maintained accountability for public funds during emergency periods when normal procurement rules may be suspended. The Auditor will submit findings and recommendations, including potential legislative changes, to the Legislature before the 2027 session. This measure directly affects state and county agencies that have issued emergency contracts and aims to ensure transparency in how public money is spent during crises.
This bill requests that all state agencies install bi-level lighting systems in new state buildings and facilities starting January 1, 2027. Bi-level lighting uses motion sensors to adjust brightness based on occupancy, reducing energy waste compared to traditional systems that stay at full intensity. The resolution directs the House of Representatives to send copies to various state officials, including the Governor and agency directors, to implement this energy-saving measure.
