Committee approves working group to review Title IX protections; members ask for student and queer representation

The House Committee on Health & Homelessness advanced HR103/HCR107 to convene a working group under the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women to develop measures to strengthen protections under Title IX.

Witnesses included student and survivor‑led groups and civil rights organizations. Yonghee Overly, public policy chair for AAUW of Hawaii, emphasized the importance of including student voices in the work group, especially for items that affect students directly. Michael Golojic Jr., vice chair of the Hawaii State LGBTQ+ Commission, asked that the commission be given a seat at the table to ensure queer perspectives are represented. Anna Ezzy of Every Voice Hawaii, a student‑and‑survivor organization, said federal Title IX rule changes make state action necessary and urged student representation so the working group can identify gaps in practice.

Committee members adopted an HD that invites queer and student representatives to participate and extended the timeline and technical edits; the motion passed in committee decision-making with recorded no votes from Representatives Alcos and Garcia noted in the record.

The working group will be formed under the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and is intended to develop recommendations to strengthen Title IX protections in state practice and institutions. The committee’s action was to advance the resolution with the specified inclusions and deadline adjustments.