RELATING TO LIBRARIES.

Budget Children

Active

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

Sponsor: TAM, AMATO, BELATTI, GRANDINETTI, ILAGAN, KAHALOA, KAPELA, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, MARTEN, MORIKAWA, OLDS, PERRUSO, POEPOE, REYES ODA, SOUZA, TODD
Last action: 2026-03-30
Official status: Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify the exact amount of funding or the duration of the program's implementation.

Establishing Imagination Library of Hawaii Program

This bill requires the State Librarian to create a program that gives free books each month to children from birth to five years old who live in Hawaii.

What This Bill Does

Requires the State Librarian to start an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program.
The program will give one free book every month to eligible children.
Eligible children are those aged between birth and five years living in Hawaii.
A nonprofit organization must provide at least half of the funds needed for the program.

Who It Names or Affects

Children aged between birth and five years old who live in Hawaii will receive free books each month.
The State Librarian is responsible for establishing the program.
Nonprofit organizations are required to help implement and fund the program.

Terms To Know

Eligible children: Children from birth through five years of age who reside in Hawaii.
National nonprofit foundation: A nonprofit entity with a national presence that exists for the purpose of working with local entities to identify and provide age-appropriate, high-quality books each month to eligible children at no cost to families.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how many years the program will run.
It is unclear what happens if there are insufficient funds from nonprofits to support the program.
The exact amount of funding appropriated for fiscal year 2026-2027 is not specified.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment requires the State Librarian to establish an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program that provides one free book each month to eligible children from birth through five years old, with funding support from a nonprofit organization.

Establishes an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program to provide monthly free books for eligible young children.
Requires the State Librarian to contract with a nonprofit organization to implement and fund at least half of the program costs.
Appropriates funds from general revenues for fiscal year 2026-2027 to support the program's implementation.

The exact amount of funding appropriated is not specified in the amendment text provided.

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: This amendment requires the State Librarian to establish an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program that provides one free book each month to eligible children from birth through age five, with funding support from a nonprofit organization.

Establishes an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program to provide monthly books for eligible children aged 0-5.
Requires the State Librarian to contract with a nonprofit organization to implement and fund at least half of the program costs.
Appropriates funds from general revenues for fiscal year 2026-2027.

The exact amount of funding appropriated is not specified in the amendment text.

Bill History

2026-03-30 S
Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.
2026-03-30 S
Reported from EDU (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3393) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2026-03-25 S
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.
2026-03-20 S
The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-25-26 1:12PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
2026-03-12 S
Referred to EDU, WAM.
2026-03-12 S
Passed First Reading.
2026-03-12 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 318).
2026-03-10 H
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Garcia, Muraoka voting no (2) and none excused (0). Transmitted to Senate.
2026-03-06 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1031-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2026-03-05 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 15 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Perruso.
2026-03-03 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 03-05-26 2:00PM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-19 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).
2026-02-19 H
Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 498-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
2026-02-17 H
The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Garrett.
2026-02-13 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Tuesday, 02-17-26 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-28 H
Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 3
2026-01-26 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-23 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO LIBRARIES.
State Librarian; HSPLS; Libraries; Imagination Library of Hawaii Program; Appropriation ($)
Requires the State Librarian to establish an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program to provide one free book each month to children from birth through five years of age who reside in the State. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1934

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1934

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to libraries
.

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

����
SECTION 1.
�
Chapter 312, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

����
"
�312-
�
Imagination library of Hawaii program;
established.
�
(a)
�
The state librarian shall establish an
imagination library of Hawaii program to provide one free book each month to
eligible children.

����
(b)
�
The state librarian shall contract with a
nonprofit organization to implement the imagination library of Hawaii program
established pursuant to this section.
�
In
implementing the program, the nonprofit organization shall:

����
(1)
�
Provide an
amount of at least fifty per cent of the funds required to carry out the
program;

����
(2)
�
Promote the
statewide development of local book gifting programs;

����
(3)
�
Provide
outreach to local communities about developing local book-gifting programs in
those communities;

����
(4)
�
Recruit
community partners to assist in the implementation and administration of local
book gifting programs;

����
(5)
�
Advance and
strengthen local book-gifting programs to increase enrollment in the program;

����
(6)
�
Develop
community engagement related to local book‑gifting programs; and

����
(7)
�
Enter into a
contract with a national nonprofit foundation to provide age-appropriate, high-quality
books each month to eligible children at no cost.

����
(c)
�
The state librarian may adopt rules pursuant
to chapter 91 necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

����
(d)
�
As used in this section:

����
"Eligible children"
means children from birth through five years of age who reside in the State.

����
"National nonprofit
foundation" means a nonprofit entity with a national presence that exists
for the purpose of working with local entities to identify and provide age‑appropriate,
high quality books each month to eligible children at no cost to families.
"

����
SECTION
2.
�
There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for
the implementation of the
imagination library of Hawaii program established by section 312- ,
Hawaii Revised Statutes.

����
The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii state public library system for
the purposes of this Act.

����
SECTION
3.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

State
Librarian; Libraries; Imagination Library of Hawaii Program; Appropriation

Description:

Requires
the State Librarian to establish an Imagination Library of Hawaii Program to
provide one free book each month to children from birth through five years of
age who reside in the State.
�

Appropriates funds.

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