# Hawaii SB 3238: RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS.

Hawaii SB 3238, RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2) Senate bill sponsored by Rachele Lamosao (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-26 (Act 179, 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1281).) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB3238-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Hawaii SB 3238
- State: Hawaii
- Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session (Year 2)
- Title: RELATING TO LANGUAGE ACCESS.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-28
- Last action: 2026-06-26, Act 179, 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1281).
- Sponsor: Rachele Lamosao (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Subjects: Language Access Education and Workforce Development Program, Positions, Appropriation, HED, FIN
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 10 (217 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 0

## Summary

Establishes a Language Access Education and Workforce Development Program at the University of Hawaii. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

## Bill overview

No economic impacts identified for this bill.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Rachele Lamosao (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: C.
- Cosponsor: Brandon J.C. Elefante (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Carol Fukunaga (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Chris Lee (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Joy A. San Buenaventura (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Glenn Wakai (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-05-06 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 51 | 0 |   |
| 2026-05-01 | House | The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments.... | pass | 5 | 0 |   |
| 2026-05-01 | Senate | The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS.... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-14 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 51 | 0 |   |
| 2026-04-07 | House | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes ... | pass | 16 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-23 | House | Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN... | pass | 43 | 1 |   |
| 2026-03-16 | House | The committee on HED recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The ... | pass | 9 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-06 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 24 | 0 |   |
| 2026-03-03 | Senate | The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The... | pass | 12 | 0 |   |
| 2026-02-18 | Senate | The committee(s) on EDU recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENT... | pass | 3 | 0 |   |

## Actions (55)

- 2026-06-26: Act 179, 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1281). (Senate)
- 2026-06-26: Act 179, on 06/26/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1281). (House)
- 2026-05-08: Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888). (Senate)
- 2026-05-08: Enrolled to Governor. (Senate)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). (House)
- 2026-05-06: Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-05-06: Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 5:15PM in Conference Room 229. (House)
- 2026-05-01: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 05-01-26 at 5:50PM in Conference Room 229. (House)
- 2026-05-01: The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 5 Ayes: Representative(s) Garrett, Miyake, Amato, Kapela, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-05-01: 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 0 Excused: none. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 209-26). (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: 48 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26. (Senate)
- 2026-05-01: Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 209-26) as amended in (CD 1). (House)
- 2026-05-01: Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26. (House)
- 2026-04-30: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday 05-01-26 3:10PM in conference room 229. (House)
- 2026-04-28: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 3:00PM in conference room 229. (House)
- 2026-04-24: Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 3:00PM in conference room 229. (House)
- 2026-04-23: Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 811). (Senate)
- 2026-04-23: Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Friday, 04-24-26 2:30PM in conference room 229. (House)
- 2026-04-22: House Conferees Appointed: Garrett, Miyake Co-Chairs; Amato, Kapela, Souza. (House)
- 2026-04-21: Senate Conferees Appointed: Kim Chair; Hashimoto Co-Chair; DeCorte. (Senate)
- 2026-04-21: Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 718). (House)
- 2026-04-16: Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 766). (Senate)
- 2026-04-16: Senate disagrees with House amendments. (Senate)
- 2026-04-16: Received notice of disagreement (Sen. Com. No. 710). (House)
- 2026-04-14: Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate. (House)
- 2026-04-10: Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2051-26), recommending passage on Third Reading. (House)
- 2026-04-10: Deferred one day 04-14-26. (House)
- 2026-04-07: 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; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none. (House)
- 2026-04-02: Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Tuesday, 04-07-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-23: Reported from HED (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1318-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN. (House)
- 2026-03-23: Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kong, Lowen, Perruso, Poepoe, Quinlan excused (6). (House)
- 2026-03-16: The committee on HED recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Garrett, Amato, Evslin, Kila, La Chica, Olds, Woodson, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Kapela. (House)
- 2026-03-12: This measure has been deleted from the meeting scheduled on Friday 03-13-26 2:00PM in conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-12: Bill scheduled to be heard by HED on Monday, 03-16-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-10: Pass First Reading (House)
- 2026-03-10: Referred to HED, FIN, referral sheet 16 (House)
- 2026-03-10: Bill scheduled to be heard by HED on Friday, 03-13-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. (House)
- 2026-03-06: Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 24; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 1 (Senator(s) Ihara). Transmitted to House. (Senate)
- 2026-03-06: Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 126) in amended form (SD 1). (House)
- 2026-03-05: Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2757) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading. (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: One Day Notice 03-06-26. (Senate)
- 2026-03-03: 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, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 1 Excused: Senator(s) Fevella. (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: The committee(s) on WAM deferred the measure until 03-03-26 10:15AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-23: The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 02-25-26 10:56AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2613) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-02-20: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-02-18: 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. (Senate)
- 2026-02-13: The committee(s) on EDU has rescheduled its public hearing to 02-18-26 1:02PM; CR 229 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-08: The committee(s) on EDU deleted the measure from the public hearing scheduled on 02-09-26 1:05PM; CR 229 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-06: The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 02-09-26 1:05PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference. (Senate)
- 2026-02-02: Referred to EDU, WAM. (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: Introduced. (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: Passed First Reading. (Senate)

## Bill text

- Bill Text: [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_CD1_.pdf)
- Original: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_.HTM), [PDF](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1281_.PDF)
- SB3238_CD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_CD1_.HTM)
- SB3238_HD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_HD1_.HTM)
- SB3238_SD1: [HTML](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_SD1_.HTM)

## Related bills

- SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS. (became law)
- SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING. (signed)
- HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES. (signed)
- HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. (signed)
- SB 2964: RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE. (signed)

## Sources
- [Bill Text (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_CD1_.pdf)
- [Original (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_.HTM)
- [Original (PDF)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/GM1281_.PDF)
- [SB3238_CD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_CD1_.HTM)
- [SB3238_HD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_HD1_.HTM)
- [SB3238_SD1 (HTML)](https://data.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/bills/SB3238_SD1_.HTM)

## Related
- [SB 847: RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB847-2026)
- [SB 2338: RELATING TO HOUSING.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2338-2026)
- [HB 2344: RELATING TO SCHOOL FACILITIES.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2344-2026)
- [HB 2023: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2023-2026)
- [HB 2021: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-HB2021-2026)
- [SB 2964: RELATING TO PROPERTY INSURANCE.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB2964-2026)
- [Hawaii bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii/bills)
- [Hawaii state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/hawaii)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/HI-SB3238-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).