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HB1840
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.B. NO.
1840
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII
A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating
to education
.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
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SECTION 1.
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The legislature finds that the BridgeUSA J-1
visa program, administered by the United States Department of State, offers
foreign teachers an opportunity to teach in accredited schools in the United
States serving students in grades kindergarten through twelve.
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The J-1 visa program was also designed to help
address the ongoing chronic teacher shortage while providing academic and
cultural exchange opportunities to visiting teachers.
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Furthermore, the J-1 visa program offers the
opportunity for foreign teachers of various backgrounds to become a part of
educational communities to reflect the diversity of student populations across
the nation.
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The legislature further finds that although
22.4 per cent of the public school student population in Hawaii identifies as
Filipino, only 7.4 per cent of educators share the same ethnic background.
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According to the federal Institute of
Education Sciences, diverse educator representation has a significantly
positive effect on student learning.
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Teachers
of color can often help close achievement gaps and improve attendance and
behavioral outcomes and are highly rated by students of all backgrounds.
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Beyond academic benefits, having educators who
reflect their students' backgrounds can inspire future goals.
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Seeing role models in the classroom can
encourage students to pursue similar career paths.
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Presently, the State's implementation of the
J-1 visa program has aimed to expose Filipino children to Filipino educators,
inspiring them to consider careers in education.
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Moreover, the J-1 visa program has contributed
to classroom diversity while eliminating certain barriers to academic
achievement.
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Since its implementation, the J-1
visa program has been a resounding success.
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To date, three hundred sixty-five
internationally certified educators, primarily from the Philippines, serve in
one hundred and one public schools statewide.
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Similar to the Philippines, Kenya also has
strong educational equivalencies, and the State currently employs four
educators from Kenya with twenty-five additional educators from Africa set to
arrive in the 2026-2027 school year.
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Educators
from the J-1 visa program are beneficially affecting the State's diverse
classrooms, and the program has strong support from community organizations,
including groups from the Filipino community.
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However, the State's existing
licensing rules limit the full potential of prospective international teachers
participating in the J-1 visa program.
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Because
the State does not recognize foreign teaching licenses for reciprocity, visiting
international teachers are required to complete a series of additional
examinations that often cost more than $1,000 and demand extensive preparation
time.
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These requirements place a
disproportionate burden on educators who are already adapting to a new cultural
and professional environment.
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As a result, many teachers in the
J-1 visa program are unable to complete the State's full licensure requirements
within the three-year duration of their visa program.
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This inability prevents them from remaining
for the optional two-year extension permitted under federal rules -- an
extension that many other states use by offering streamlined
visiting-international-teacher permits for the full duration of the teachers'
visas.
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States such as Florida, Indiana,
Ohio, and Texas have implemented specialized permits that allow teachers to
serve for the full five years of their exchange program.
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Accordingly, the purpose of this Act
is to require the Hawaii teacher standards board to develop an alternative
pathway for a visiting international educator permit aligned to the duration of
the educator's J-1 visa program.
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By
doing so, the State would create a more equitable and culturally responsive public
educational system, strengthening teacher retention, increasing instructional
continuity for students, and ensuring that Hawaii benefits from the full five
years of service that these highly qualified teachers are eligible to provide.
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SECTION
2
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Section
302A-802, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to
read as follows:
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"(c)
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The board shall adopt policies, exempt from
chapters 91 and 92, to initiate the following:
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(1)
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Develop criteria
allowing more individuals with trade or industry experience to teach in
vocational, technical, and career pathway programs, and criteria for the
issuance of permits allowing qualified individuals to teach when recommended by
the superintendent or the commission, when appropriate.
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The department or the commission, when
appropriate, shall be responsible for the review and acceptance of the relevant
licenses, certificates, or other qualifications related to an individual's
vocational, technical, or career pathway education-related experience that the
department or the commission, when appropriate, deems necessary for a
permit.
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The department or the
commission, when appropriate, shall have the authority to waive the requirement
of a bachelor's degree to teach in a vocation, technical, or career pathway
education program;
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(2)
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Develop a plan to
accept teachers from any state as long as they have completed state-approved
teacher education programs and pass relevant Hawaii teacher examinations or
their equivalent;
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(3)
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Clarify the
requirements, on a state-by-state basis, for out-of-state licensed teachers to
obtain a license in Hawaii;
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(4)
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Develop a plan to
facilitate licensing for those who intend to teach in Hawaii immersion
programs, the island of Niihau, or any other extraordinary situation as defined
by the superintendent or the superintendent's designee, or by the commission,
when appropriate;
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(5)
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Pursue full teacher license
reciprocity with
all other states; [
and
]
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(6)
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Develop a plan to
facilitate an optional certification for those who teach or intend to teach at
private schools[
.
]
; and
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(7)
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Develop an alternative pathway for a visiting
international educator permit
to promote cultural exchange between
the State and foreign nations.
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The
permit shall authorize a visiting international educator who agrees to come to
the United States temporarily as a full-time teacher of record in an accredited
primary or secondary school to teach all subjects and grade levels for which
the educator is qualified and is employed by the department.
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A visiting international educator permit
developed by the department shall remain valid for the duration necessary to
complete the educator's participation in a visiting international educator
exchange program.
"
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SECTION
3.
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Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
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New statutory
material is underscored.
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SECTION
4.
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This Act shall take effect upon its approval
and shall be repealed on June 30, 2031; provided that section 302A-802, Hawaii
Revised Statutes, shall be reenacted in the form in which it read on the day
prior to the effective date of this Act.
INTRODUCED BY:
_____________________________
Report Title:
J-1 Visa
Program; Hawaii Teacher Standards Board;
Visiting International Educator
Permit
Description:
Requires the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to develop an
alternative pathway for a visiting international educator permit aligned to the
duration of the educator's J-1 visa program.
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Repeals 6/30/2031.
The summary description
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not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.