2023 Legislative session update

The Department had a successful legislative session, with five out of the seven administrative bills we advocated for being passed.

News Release from Hawaii DoE, 05-May-2023

​As the Hawai‘i State Legislature prepares to adjourn this week, the Department acknowledges and thanks our elected officials for supporting public education. The Department had a successful legislative session, with five out of the seven administrative bills we advocated for being passed. Together, these bills are expected to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department’s operations and services to students:

Senate Bill 1518: Exempts the Department from using the electronic procurement system for the purchase of educational materials up to $100,000 and for construction up to $250,000. This will enable the Department to obtain educational materials and complete small construction projects quicker and more efficiently.

SB 1344: Allows school health assistants to administer medication following the approval of a health care professional within the Department.

SB 1340: Reinstates exemptions for certain teachers and registered behavior technicians from behavior analyst licensing requirements, which will help streamline providing applied behavior analysis services to students.

SB 105: Changes the Department’s reporting requirements on autism spectrum disorder to an annual report to reduce administrative burdens and allow for more comprehensive reporting.

House Bill 1045: Simplifies the student record transfer process and exempts homeless students from producing required records to reduce administrative burdens and improve access to education for vulnerable students.

The Department weighed in on other measures throughout the session and supported successful bills including, HB 264, HB 388 and SB 830.