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HB1385 • 2026

RELATING TO THE STATE FLAG.

RELATING TO THE STATE FLAG.

Education
Active

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details about the process for selecting the final flag design from among all submissions.

Hawaii State Flag Redesign Commission

This bill establishes a commission to design a new state flag that represents Hawaii's people, culture, and history.

What This Bill Does

  • Establishes the Hawaii State Flag Redesign Commission within the Department of Accounting and General Services.
  • The commission will lead community engagement, conduct public education campaigns, host forums and workshops, and solicit design proposals from the public.
  • After reviewing all submissions, the commission must choose a final design to present to the legislature by 20 days before the start of the regular session in 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The people of Hawaii who will participate in community engagement and submit flag designs.
  • Members of the state government including legislators, as they will receive recommendations from the commission.
  • Native Hawaiian organizations and cultural historians who are part of the commission.

Terms To Know

Commission
A group appointed to perform a specific function or duty.
Legislature
The branch of government that makes laws for a state or country.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is unclear how the public will respond to the process and what kind of designs they will submit.
  • There are no details on how the final design will be chosen from among all submissions.
  • The bill does not specify if there will be any legal changes after the new flag is adopted.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-01-27 H

    Referred to CAA, FIN, referral sheet 4

  3. 2025-01-23 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO THE STATE FLAG.
Hawaii State Flag Redesign Commission
Establishes the Hawaii State Flag Redesign Commission to lead the process of designing a new state flag that represents the people, culture, and history of Hawaii.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB1385

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1385

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the state flag
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that the
current state flag of Hawaii is rooted in the legacy of the Hawaiian Kingdom,
having been commissioned by King Kamehameha III in 1843 as a symbol of the
sovereignty and unity of the Hawaiian people under the independent Hawaiian
Kingdom.
�
The overthrow of the Hawaiian
Kingdom in 1893 by forces supported by foreign interests constituted a profound
historical injustice that continues to deeply impact Native Hawaiians and their
cultural identity today.

����
The use of
the Hawaiian Kingdom's flag as the emblem of the State of Hawaii intertwines a
symbol of a sovereign kingdom with a political entity formed under
circumstances of colonization and annexation, thereby conflating the historical
significance of the flag with the structures of state governance.
�
Many view the Hawaiian Kingdom's flag as a
sacred and enduring symbol of the l
a
hui
and its independence, which should remain the rightful domain of the Hawaiian
Kingdom and its legacy rather than that of the State of Hawaii.

����
The
legislature further finds there is an opportunity to reflect the diverse and
multicultural identity of Hawaii in a manner that honors its Native Hawaiian
foundation and acknowledges its contemporary evolution as a state.

����
Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to establish a Hawaii state flag redesign commission
to explore and recommend a new design for the flag of the State of Hawaii that
respects the historical and cultural significance of the Hawaiian Kingdom's
flag and fosters a unifying and inclusive symbol for all the people of Hawaii
through a process that is transparent, inclusive, and guided by a commitment to
justice and reconciliation.

����
SECTION 2.
�
(a)
�

There is established the Hawaii state flag redesign commission within
the department of accounting and general services for administrative
purposes.
�
The purpose of the commission
shall be to lead the process of designing a new state flag that represents the
people, culture, and history of Hawaii.

����
(b)
�
The commission shall consist of the following
members:

����
(1)
�
The executive director of the state foundation
on culture and the arts or the executive director's designee, who shall serve
as the chairperson;

����
(2)
�
Two members of the senate, to be appointed by
the president of the senate;

����
(3)
�
Two members of the house of representatives,
to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

����
(4)
�
Four members representing Native Hawaiian organizations,
to be invited by the chairperson; and

����
(5)
�
Four cultural historians, to be invited by the
chairperson.

����
(c)
�
The commission
shall
:

����
(
1
)
�
Lead
community engagement;

����
(
2
)
�
Conduct
public education campaigns;

����
(
3
)
�
Host
forums and workshops; and

����
(
4
)
�
Solicit
design proposals from the public and, upon completion of the review process,
evaluate and adopt a final design for approval by the legislature.

����
(d)
�
Members of the commission shall serve without
compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred during the
performance of their duties.

����
(e)
�
The commission shall submit a report of its
findings and recommendations, including the final design adopted by the
commission and any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than
twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of
2026.

����
(f)
�
The commission shall cease to exist on December
31, 2026.

����
SECTION 3.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Hawaii
State Flag Redesign Commission

Description:

Establishes
the Hawaii State Flag Redesign Commission to lead the process of designing a
new state flag that represents the people, culture, and history of Hawaii.

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not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.