HB 628 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

Summary

Authorizes the Department of Education to establish a program to award high school diplomas to persons who did not receive a diploma as a result of compulsory or voluntary induction into the armed services and persons whose high school education was interrupted due to wartime practices during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Veterans

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB628 → HB628_HD1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to include a specific effective date of July 1, 3000, replacing the previous instruction to take effect upon approval. Additionally, the bill title and header were updated to reflect House District 1 sponsorship, and the text was formatted for consistency. These changes clarify when the new diploma program begins and update the legislative record.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on awarding high school diplomas to veterans and those affected by wartime education interruptions, but the implementation timeline has been explicitly set to a future date.

TIMELINE

The effective date was changed from 'upon approval' to 'July 1, 3000', ensuring the program starts in the distant future rather than immediately.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated from 'HB628' to 'HB628 HD1' to reflect House District 1 sponsorship.

Header metadata, including author names and version numbers, were updated to reflect the new legislative version.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 6, 2025

Committee

Referred to EDU/PSM, WAM.

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 261).

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Pierick, Ward excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Alcos, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Ward.

lower

Feb 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Sayama, Ward excused (3).

lower

Feb 12, 2025

Committee

Reported from PBS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 454), recommending referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on PBS recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Belatti, Iwamoto, Lamosao, Morikawa, Poepoe, Woodson, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem, Ichiyama.

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 42) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to PBS.

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 11 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Garrett, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Sayama, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to EDN, PBS, FIN, referral sheet 2

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

23 primary · 0 co-sponsors