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HB1206 • 2026

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

Budget Education Housing Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
QUINLAN
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary and text do not specify exact amounts for certain expenses like travel costs, materials supplies, or operation of the academy for Hawaii intelligence studies summer program at UH Mānoa.

Funding for Defense Workforce Development at UH

This bill provides funding to the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and West Oahu for workforce development programs in defense-related fields.

What This Bill Does

  • Appropriates $425,000 for faculty positions at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa's College of Social Sciences.
  • Allocates $75,000 to support a summer program and student housing at UH Mānoa.
  • Provides $130,000 for part-time faculty positions at the University of Hawaii, West Oahu’s Department of Business Administration.
  • Funds $270,000 for internship programs and certifications at UH West Oahu.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The University of Hawaii at Mānoa
  • University of Hawaii, West Oahu

Terms To Know

FTE
Full-Time Equivalent - a measure used to represent the workload of an employee or student.
Appropriation
Money set aside by the government for specific purposes, such as funding programs and projects.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money will be available beyond fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.
  • It is unclear if the funds will fully cover all expenses related to workforce development programs.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-01-28 H

    Re-referred to ECD, HED, FIN, referral sheet 7

  3. 2025-01-27 H

    Referred to HED, FIN, referral sheet 4

  4. 2025-01-23 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  5. 2025-01-22 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
University of Hawaii; Workforce Development; Defense; Appropriation ($)
Appropriates funds for faculty positions, student programs, and facilities at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and University of Hawaii, West Oahu for workforce development in the defense sector.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB1206

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1206

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the university of hawaii
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that Hawaii
offers a unique opportunity for job growth and economic development through its
important geographic location.
�
In fiscal
year 2022, Hawaii received almost $9,000,000,000 in defense spending.
�
Furthermore, the number of defense-related
jobs increased by about ten thousand jobs from fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year
2022. Many of these jobs are in the areas of information technology,
cybersecurity, intelligence, and data science fields and provide good-paying
jobs for Hawaii's local economy.

����
The
purpose of this Act is to build a local workforce to meet the growing demand
for jobs in the areas of information technology, cybersecurity, intelligence,
and data science fields by utilizing the expertise at two university campuses,
the university of Hawaii at Mānoa's college of social sciences and the university
of Hawaii, West Oahu's business administration department, focused on producing
the workforce for the defense sector in these related fields.

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $425,000 or so much thereof
as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for:

����
(1)
�
Two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) assistant
professors in international economics, trade, and security;

����
(2)
�
One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) professor
of practice in intelligence studies;

����
(3)
�
One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) educational
specialist; and

����
(4)
�
One part-time equivalent (0.5 FTE) graduate
research assistant,

to be located at the university of Hawaii at M
ānoa college of social sciences
to develop a workforce to support the defense sector of the State's economy.

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the university
of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 3.
�
There is appropriated out of the general
revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $75,000 or so much thereof as may be
necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may
be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for student housing, travel costs,
materials supplies, and operation of the academy for Hawaii intelligence studies
summer program of the university of Hawaii at M
ānoa college of social sciences to develop a talent
pipeline of students to support the defense sector of the State's economy
.

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the
university of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION
4.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $130,000 or so much thereof
as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for:

����
(1)
�
One part-time equivalent (0.5 FTE) faculty for
the directory of the cybersecurity coordinator center; and

����
(2)
�
One part-time equivalent (0.5 FTE) faculty for
the director of the cybersecurity research laboratory,

to be located at the university of Hawaii, West Oahu's department
of business administration to develop a workforce to support the defense sector
of the State's economy.

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the
university of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION
5.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $270,000 or so much thereof
as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for student internship
programs, certifications, software, and other expenses related to the program
located at the university of Hawaii, West Oahu's department of business administration
to develop a workforce to support the defense sector of the State's economy..

����
The sums

appropriated shall be expended by the university
of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION 6.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

University
of Hawaii; Workforce Development; Defense; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates
funds for faculty positions, student programs, and facilities at the University
of Hawaii
at Mānoa and University of
Hawaii, West Oahu for workforce development in the defense sector.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.