Sign Up
HB 2338 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO THE HAWAII COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROMISE PROGRAM.

Summary
Addresses the change in federal law regarding Pell Grants by amending the Hawaii Community College Promise Program (Hawaii Promise) to provide scholarships for ninety-five percent of a student's unmet direct cost need and exclude grants, scholarships, and other funding sources from the calculation of Hawaii Promise awards, thereby allowing students to apply such funds toward indirect costs, including housing, food, and other living expenses, to reduce financial barriers and support student success. Changes Hawaii Promise from being a last-dollar award. Authorizes Hawaii Promise to coordinate with federal student aid programs to maximize total financial assistance available to students. Effective 7/1/2026. (CD1)
Issues: ✓ EducationSupports EducationAmends Hawaii Promise to allow grants for living expenses, reducing financial barriers and supporting student success in higher education.90% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill explicitly allows student aid to cover housing costs as allowable indirect expenses, reducing financial barriers for housing through Hawaii Promise Program adjustments.95% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
Jul 2026
Introduced Jan 26, 2026 Signed Jul 14, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB2338_HD1 → HB2338_SD1 · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill amends the Hawaii Community College Promise Program to address changes in federal Pell Grant regulations. The primary change is that the program will now cover 95% of a student's unmet direct costs instead of 100%, and it explicitly excludes other grants and scholarships from the calculation of the award. This ensures that federal aid can be used for living expenses like housing and food without reducing the state's contribution to tuition and fees.
Scope change
The bill modifies the scope of financial assistance by changing the award calculation method to align with federal rules, ensuring state funds do not displace federal aid.
FISCAL

The scholarship award amount is capped at 95% of a student's unmet direct cost need, down from 100%.

DEFINITION

The bill clarifies that grants, scholarships, and other funding sources must be excluded when calculating the Hawaii Promise award, allowing federal aid to be applied to indirect costs like housing and food.

REQUIREMENT

The legislative findings and purpose sections were updated to reflect the new funding structure and the goal of maximizing total financial support for students.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
47
Key actions
18
Committee
17
Amendments
3
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and none excused (0).
lower
May 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.
upper
May 1, 2026
Introduced
48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
upper
May 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 106-26).
upper
May 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 106-26) as amended in (CD 1).
lower
Apr 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani.
upper
Apr 29, 2026
Lower · Passed
The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Garrett, Hussey, Amato, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
lower
Apr 28, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 3:10PM in conference room 229.
lower
Apr 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 3:00PM in conference room 229.
lower
Apr 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 2:30PM in conference room 229.
lower
Apr 14, 2026
Amended
House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).
lower
Apr 10, 2026
Introduced
Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 556) in amended form (SD 1).
lower
Apr 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.
upper
Apr 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 12 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Lee, C..
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-01-26 10:03AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Committee
Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3137) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in EDU were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Kim, Hashimoto, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Kidani, Fukunaga.
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-16-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to EDU, WAM.
upper
Mar 6, 2026
Introduced
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 98).
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Reported from HED (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 300-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
The committee on HED recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Garrett, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, La Chica, Olds, Woodson, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Committee
Referred to HED, FIN, referral sheet 6
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Introduced
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
lower
Jan 26, 2026
Introduced
Pending introduction.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Nadine Nakamura
Nadine Nakamura
DDemocratic
HI
15