March 25, 2026, 2 p.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 329 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce
Rep. Scot Z. Matayoshi, Chair
Rep. Tina Nakada Grandinetti, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: COMMENTS ON SB3263 SD2 HD1 — RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and other Committee Members,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii offers comments on SB3263 SD2 HD1, which would affirm the right of student-athletes to engage in name, image, and likeness activities for compensation, require the University to adopt NIL policies, establish transparency and accountability requirements in the administration of NIL activities, and provide certain protections and educational support for student-athletes entering NIL agreements.
This bill deserves praise for its effort to establish NIL policies and enable students to participate in NIL contracts. This is an evolving area that would be helped by greater clarity for both students and schools, though federal legislation[1] may soon change the landscape of NIL payments.
In addition, the current version of the bill has wisely removed an appropriation that would have allowed state funds to be used for athlete compensation. Any legislative appropriation provided for the establishment of an NIL program should be limited to administrative and educational needs. UH should follow the established practice of schools that pay student athletes from third-party contracts, donations, revenues and other funding sources, not taxpayer dollars.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1050 Bishop St. #508 | Honolulu, HI 96813 | 808-864-1776 | info@grassrootinstitute.org
