URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, IN COORDINATION WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO TRANSITION THE SCHOOL BUSES USED FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO ELECTRIC BUSES TO EXPAND THE BENEFITS ALREADY DEMONSTRATED IN OTHER PLACES.

HCR142

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

142

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Urging the Department of Education, in coordination with
the Board of Education, to DEVELOP a plan to transition the school buses used
for PUBLIC transportation to electric buses to expand the benefits already
demonstrated in other places.

����
WHEREAS, section
225P-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, directs the State to sequester more
atmospheric carbon and greenhouse gases than emitted within the State as
quickly as practicable, but no later than 2045; and

����
WHEREAS, section
226-18(2), Hawaii Revised Statutes, directs increased energy security and
self-sufficiency through reduction and ultimate elimination of the State's
dependance on imported fuels for electrical generation and ground
transportation; and

����
WHEREAS, section
225P-8, Hawaii Revised Statutes, directs the State to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and achieve zero emissions across all transportation modes, including
ground transportation and interisland sea and air transportation, and each
department, board, and commission to incorporate these goals into their plans
and take actions necessary to achieve them; and

����
WHEREAS, in
the 2024 to 2025 school year, the Oakland Unified School District partnered
with Zum to deploy seventy-four electric school buses, creating the first fully
electrified fleet of a major United States school district; and

����
WHEREAS, the
Oakland transition to electric school buses has already produced noticeable
benefits, including electric buses with expected lifespans twice those of
traditional fossil fuel school buses, reductions in cost for fuel, maintenance,
and related expenses, and has opened the door to additional revenue for the
school district by providing power from the buses back to the electric grid in
peak periods of high demand; and

����
WHEREAS, Oakland's
new generation of school buses were specifically designed to be safer, easier
to operate, and have cleaner air within each bus, eliminating the exposure of
students to noxious fumes present in traditional buses; and

����
WHEREAS, the
switch to electric buses has also resulted in more students arriving to school
on time and overall higher student attendance, as students and parents are able
to better plan by tracking each bus online in real time and receive automatic
notifications when a student is dropped off, enabling parents to better rely on
school bus transportation and freeing their schedules for work and other
responsibilities; and

����
WHEREAS, Oakland's
transition to electric school buses is reducing greenhouse gas emissions by
approximately twenty-five thousand metric tons annually and returning
approximately 2.1 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the grid each year, enough
to power hundreds of homes during peak demand; and

����
WHEREAS, Oakland's
electric school bus fleet has also become an invaluable tool for disaster
response, as each electric school bus is a giant battery on wheels which is
able to provide immediate mobile emergency power and support to any community
in the event of a disaster such as a hurricane or wildfire; and

����
WHEREAS, since
2015 the laws of the State have directed state departments to begin
transitioning to electric transportation and exploring innovative
transportation technologies for public services that can produce numerous
benefits; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the
State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the Senate concurring, that the
Department of Education, in coordination with the Board of Education, is urged
to develop a plan to transition the school buses used for public transportation
to electric buses to expand the benefits already demonstrated in other places;
and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of Education and Board of Education and any other
appropriate stakeholders are requested to meet and collaborate with school
districts, such as the Oakland Unified School District, which have already made
the transition to electric school buses to evaluate the potential benefits for
the State; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of Education and Board of Education are requested
to develop a plan to transition to electric school busses to maximize benefit
to the students, parents, and people of the State; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of Education and the Board of Education are
requested to submit a report of their findings and any recommendations,
including a proposed implementation plan, to the Legislature no later than
twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the
Governor, Superintendent of Education, and Chairperson of the Board of
Education.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
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BOE;
DOT; DOE; Electric Transportation; School Bus Services; Student Transportation