The Hawaiʻi House Committee on Higher Education, and Senate Committees on Education and Economic Development and Tourism, advanced bills on February 11 related to proposals to establish a statewide framework for name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation for University of Hawaiʻi student-athletes. The house hearing was held at the UH Mānoa campus, and the senate hearing was at the State Capitol.
 
House Bill 2384 would create a comprehensive NIL framework for UH student-athletes. The measure affirms that student-athletes may earn compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness and requires the university to adopt policies governing institutional NIL agreements, third-party disclosures, athlete education and compliance with federal law and NCAA rules. The bill includes reporting requirements to the Legislature, protections for student-athletes who enter NIL agreements and a sunset date of June 30, 2030, allowing lawmakers to review the law's impact.
 
"In the Mountain West, every single school has committed to an NIL budget," UH athletics director Matt Elliott said. "Every single school is using NIL as part of its package to retain and recruit student-athletes, and the reality is that these conversations are happening in the official visit process as well — so transfer students, high school students. As you try to think about what you are selling to a possible recruit or to a student who's already here, NIL is one piece of it."
 
Elliott added, "But what's amazing about this place, and I think what all of these student-athletes articulated so well is that is not at all the only thing that matters. We believe as an institution that it is so vital for us to have students who want to stay here, be a part of this community and get their degrees."
 
Several coaches and student-athletes also delivered passionate testimony in support of the bill.
 
"I believe this program is only scratching the surface, and with the right backing, what Hawaiʻi can achieve will be something great — not just on the field, but for the people, the culture, and the future generations who come from places like mine," said Rainbow Warrior football player Dean Briski.
 
"At the University of Hawaiʻi, our athletics department will hold fast to the core values that shaping our student-athletes lives is and will always be the number one goal," Rainbow Wahine basketball head coach Laura Beeman said. "Hawaiʻi has always been different. It is time for the university to lead in the area where college sports can remain a positive and impactful influence on our student-athletes and our community."
 
Rainbow Wahine volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow, a UH alumna and three-time Olympian, added, "College athletics is different now, and we need to make sure we can continue to be competitive in order to offer the same opportunities that I received to our future generations."
 
Senate Bill 3263 would establish a UH-administered NIL endowment fund with an initial corpus of at least $10 million to create a long-term revenue stream for student-athlete compensation. The bill appropriates $5 million in state funds, contingent on a dollar-for-dollar match raised specifically for NIL. It also requires annual reporting to the Legislature on fund balances, revenues and compensation distributions.
 
Senate Bill 3261 focuses on athlete agents. It would prohibit individuals from providing professional representation related to endorsements, marketing, social media branding and other NIL activities unless they are registered as athlete agents in Hawaiʻi and have a valid agency contract. The bill updates state law to clarify definitions, contract requirements and disclosure obligations, aiming to strengthen oversight and consumer protections for student-athletes.
 
Elliott told the senate committee, "That's why we have set our target to be the best we can be at the level that we're at. I don't think of it as mediocre in athletics. I think of it as being very successful in the Mountain West Conference, the Big West Conference, the teams that we play against. And because of the way college sports is structured, if you do really well at the level that you're at, it does give you opportunities to go on and compete at the highest level."
 
The hearings took place as UH is seeking broader legislative support during the 2026 session to strengthen athletics and support student-athlete success.