HB2398 • 2026

RELATING TO LIBRARIES.

Budget Education

Active

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

Sponsor: WOODSON, AMATO, CHUN, GARRETT, KILA, KUSCH, LOWEN, MARTEN, MIYAKE, PERRUSO, POEPOE, REYES ODA, TAKAYAMA, TAKENOUCHI, TAM, TARNAS
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

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

RELATING TO LIBRARIES.

What This Bill Does

RELATING TO LIBRARIES.
DOE; BOE; Hawaii State Public Library System; State Librarian; Public Library System Facilities; Land Use Clarifies that the Board of Education, through the State Librarian, has exclusive authority over the development, use, support, and improvement and maintenance of public library system facilities.
Allows the Board of Education to authorize the State Librarian to exercise exclusive control of certain land for development or expansion purposes, subject to legislative appropriation.
Requires the Department of Education to expeditiously cooperate with the State Librarian and Hawaii State Public Library System to effectuate any project authorized by the Board of Education on certain lands.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: HB2398 HD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.

HB2398 HD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.
NO.
2398 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D.
1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LIBRARIES .

SD1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: HB2398 SD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.

HB2398 SD1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B.
NO.
2398 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D.
1 STATE OF HAWAII S.D.

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. 3265) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
2026-03-20 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.
2026-03-17 S
The committee(s) on EDU has scheduled a public hearing on 03-20-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 229 & Videoconference.
2026-03-10 S
Referred to EDU, WAM.
2026-03-10 S
Passed First Reading.
2026-03-10 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 209).
2026-03-06 H
Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso, Sayama excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.
2026-03-06 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 952-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
2026-03-04 H
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; Noes: none; and Excused: none.
2026-03-02 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Wednesday, 03-04-26 10:00AM 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. 493-26) 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.
2026-02-02 H
Referred to EDN, FIN, referral sheet 6
2026-01-28 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-27 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO LIBRARIES.
DOE; BOE; Hawaii State Public Library System; State Librarian; Public Library System Facilities; Land Use
Clarifies that the Board of Education, through the State Librarian, has exclusive authority over the development, use, support, and improvement and maintenance of public library system facilities. Allows the Board of Education to authorize the State Librarian to exercise exclusive control of certain land for development or expansion purposes, subject to legislative appropriation. Requires the Department of Education to expeditiously cooperate with the State Librarian and Hawaii State Public Library System to effectuate any project authorized by the Board of Education on certain lands. Effective 7/31/2055. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB2398

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2398

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
.
�
Section 302A-1120, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended to read as follows:

����
"
[
[
]�
302A-1120[
]
]
�
Public library system; board control.
�
(a)
�

The board, through the state librarian, shall have direct control of
the public library system, but not including school libraries.

����
(b)
�
The board, through
the state librarian, shall have exclusive authority over the development, use,
support, and improvement and maintenance of public library system facilities
pursuant
to section 312-1.
�
If the land for which
a board approved development or expansion of a public library system facility
is controlled by the board but not exclusively under the jurisdiction of the
public library system, then the board may delegate to the state librarian
exclusive control of the land to effectuate the purpose of the development or
expansion; provided that moneys have been appropriated by the legislature for
the development or expansion project.

����
(c)
�
The board may adopt rules under chapter 91
for the purpose of this section."

����
SECTION
2
.
�
Section 302A-1506.2, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended to read as follows:

����
"
[
[
]
�302A-1506.2[
]
]
�
Property acquisition, use, and disposition.
�
(a)
�

The department may acquire or contract to acquire by grant or purchase
any real, personal, or mixed property or any interest therein for its immediate
or future use for public educational purposes, including lease revenues; and
own, hold, improve, and rehabilitate any real, personal, or mixed property
acquired, and sell, assign, exchange, transfer, convey, lease, or otherwise
dispose of, or encumber the same; provided that the department shall incur all
fees and costs associated with, and for, the subdividing of the land.

����
(b)
�

The department may by itself, or in partnership with qualified persons,
acquire, construct, reconstruct, rehabilitate, improve, alter, or repair any
infrastructure or accessory facilities in connection with any project; and own,
hold, sell, assign, transfer, convey, exchange, lease, or otherwise dispose of,
or encumber any project.

����
(c)
�

The department may lease or rent all or a portion of any real property
acquired for public educational purposes and establish and revise the rents or
charges therefor.
�
The department shall
not sell any property, real or personal, or any interest therein, except to a
government entity.

����
(d)
�

The department may insure or provide for the insurance of its property
or operations against risks as it deems advisable.

����
(e)
�
Notwithstanding any other law to the
contrary, for land controlled by the department that the board has vested
exclusive control to the state librarian pursuant to section 302A-1120, the
department shall expeditiously cooperate with the state librarian and public
library system to effectuate any project authorized by the board.

����
[
(e)
]
�
(f)
For purposes of this section:

����
"Land" or
"property" includes vacant land or land with site improvements,
whether partially or entirely finished in accordance with governmental
subdivision standards, or with complete dwellings.

����
"Public educational
purposes" includes any use of the property, including revenue generation,
that would benefit the department's mission to provide public education to
students in the State.

����
"Real property" includes
lands, land under water, structures, and any agreed upon easements, franchises,
and incorporeal hereditaments and every estate and right therein, legal and
equitable, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage, or
otherwise."

����
SECTION
3.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Board of
Education; Hawaii State Public Library System; Public Library System
Facilities; Land Use

Description:

Clarifies
that the Board of Education, through the State Librarian, has exclusive
authority over the development, use, support, and improvement and maintenance
of public library system facilities.
�

Authorizes the Board of Education to delegate to the State Librarian
exclusive control of certain land for development or expansion purposes,
subject to legislative appropriation.
�
Requires
the Department of Education to expeditiously cooperate with the State Librarian
and Hawaii State Public Library System to effectuate any project authorized by
the Board of Education on certain lands.

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