H.Res. 1089

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1089 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1089

Expressing support for the designation of February 2026 as ``Hawaiian 
Language Month'' or ```Olelo Hawai`i Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 26, 2026

Ms. Tokuda (for herself, Mr. Case, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, and Ms. 
Meng) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the designation of February 2026 as ``Hawaiian 
Language Month'' or ```Olelo Hawai`i Month''.

Whereas the Hawaiian language, or `Olelo Hawai`i--

(1) is the Native language of Native Hawaiians, the aboriginal, 
Indigenous people who--

G (A) settled the Hawaiian archipelago as early as 300 A.D., over 
which they exercised sovereignty; and

G (B) over time, founded the Kingdom of Hawai`i; and

(2) was once widely spoken by Native Hawaiians and non-Native Hawaiians 
throughout the Kingdom of Hawai`i, which held one of the highest literacy 
rates in the world prior to the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai`i 
in 1893 and the establishment of the Republic of Hawai`i;

Whereas the Republic of Hawai`i enacted a law in 1896 effectively banning school 
instructional use of `Olelo Hawai`i, a law which continued to be in 
effect over the generations-long territorial period;
Whereas the Republic of Hawai`i banned the use of `Olelo Hawai`i to communicate 
and punished children for speaking `Olelo Hawai`i in schools and on the 
play ground;
Whereas parallel to the Federal efforts to eliminate Native American languages 
spoken by Indian Tribes, the ban on the use of `Olelo Hawai`i led to the 
near extinction of the language by the 1980s when fewer than 50 fluent 
speakers under 18 years old remained;
Whereas, since the 1960s, Native Hawaiians have led a grassroots revitalization 
of their Native language, launching a number of historic initiatives, 
including--

(1) the Hawaiian language course and degree programs throughout the 
University of Hawai`i system;

(2) the statewide Hawaiian language immersion preschools created by the 
Native Hawaiian non-profit `Aha Punana Leo, combining speakers and non-
speakers in language nests;

(3) the Hawaiian State Department of Education Hawaiian Language 
immersion program developed from a base of `Aha Punana Leo graduates; and

(4) the State Hawaiian language college's research regarding Indigenous 
language immersion teacher training, curriculum materials, and best 
practices, which allowed the State to develop an integrated preschool 
through doctorate Hawaiian immersion program;

Whereas the Hawaiian language revitalization movement inspired systemic Native 
language policy reform, including--

(1) the State of Hawai`i recognizing `Olelo Hawai`i as an official 
language in the Constitution of the State of Hawai`i in 1978;

(2) the State of Hawai`i removing the 90-year ban on teaching `Olelo 
Hawai`i in public and private schools in 1986;

(3) the bipartisan enactment of the Native American Languages Act (25 
U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) in 1990, which established the policy of the United 
States to preserve, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native 
Americans to use, practice, and develop Native American languages; and

(4) the State of Hawai`i designating the month of February as ```Olelo 
Hawai`i Month'' to celebrate and encourage the use of the Hawaiian 
language;

Whereas the enactment of the Native American Language Resource Center Act of 
2022 (20 U.S.C. 7457) in 2023--

(1) reconfirmed a Federal commitment to revitalizing Indigenous 
languages, including the Hawaiian language; and

(2) resulted in the Department of Education awarding the University of 
Hawai`i at Hilo a 5-year grant to establish the first National Native 
American Language Resource Center with State and Tribal Colleges and 
University partners to support the revitalization of other Native American 
languages using expertise and best practices;

Whereas Congress, over many decades, enacted numerous statutes to promote 
education, Native language revitalization, and cultural preservation, 
recognizing and implementing the special political and trust 
responsibility with the Native Hawaiian community;
Whereas sustained community-led and public efforts to revitalize the Hawaiian 
language have produced measurable and historic outcomes, including--

(1) increasing the number of Native Hawaiian speakers to more than 
20,000 individuals;

(2) expanding and popularizing Hawaiian language immersion education, 
with enrollment increasing by more than 60 percent over the past decade; 
and

(3) compelling the State of Hawai`i to expand the number of public 
Hawaiian language immersion school campuses from 14 in 2016 to 26 in 2026; 
and

Whereas, notwithstanding these significant advancements and the demonstrated 
vitality of Native Hawaiian intellectual and cultural excellence, the 
Trump administration, during its second term, has undertaken actions 
that threaten the continued vitality and sustainability of the Hawaiian 
language and Hawaiian-serving educational institutions, including--

(1) the elimination of discretionary funding for multiple Minority-
Serving Institution grant programs, resulting in the loss of approximately 
$83,000,000 in support for the University of Hawai`i and the 
Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies;

(2) attempts to transfer the Native Hawaiian Education Program and the 
Native Hawaiian Education Council from the Department of Education to the 
Department of the Interior, contrary to clear congressional intent that 
such programs remain education-centered and administered with the 
Department of Education;

(3) the discontinuation of the White House Initiative on Asian 
Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, which had coordinated 
the efforts of dozens of Federal agencies to address persistent disparities 
affecting Native Hawaiian communities; and

(4) actions that have encouraged and amplified legal and political 
attacks on Native Hawaiian-serving programs and institutions, including 
litigation aimed at ending the Kamehameha Schools admissions practices 
designed to address historical injustices and support Native Hawaiian 
students, thereby jeopardizing culturally relevant educational environments 
and language revitalization efforts, and reflecting a broader, coordinated 
effort to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and 
affirmative action initiatives nationwide: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the designation of ``Hawaiian Language Month'' 
or ```Olelo Hawai`i Month'';
(2) commits to preserving, protecting, and promoting the 
use, practice, and development of `Olelo Hawai`i in alignment 
with the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et 
seq.); and
(3) urges the people of the United States and interested 
groups to celebrate `Olelo Hawai`i Month with appropriate 
activities and programs to demonstrate support for `Olelo 
Hawai`i.
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