Joint conference defers multiple education bills, approves Maui nursing funding

A Joint House and Senate conference committee meeting in Conference Room 229 at the State Capitol on Tuesday, April 22, deferred hearings on several higher-education and early-learning bills and approved a conference draft providing new nursing funding for the University of Hawaii Maui campus.

The committee approved Conference Draft 1 of S.P. 119, which appropriates $250,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $360,000 for fiscal year 2027 for nursing at the Maui campus. Members cast voice votes in favor of the conference draft and the committee chair declared the bill approved.

The approvals and deferrals matter because they set near-term deadlines for budget clearances and determine which proposals will move forward to final enactment or further negotiation. Several bills that would create or expand funding for nursing programs, workforce apprenticeships and university operations remain pending release from fiscal clearance before the committee will take final action.

Committee action and scheduling - S.P. 119 (conference draft 1): Approved by voice vote. The draft appropriates $250,000 (FY2026) and $360,000 (FY2027) for nursing at the Maui campus.…