HI HR29

Requests the Board of Education to adopt a policy allowing students to declare and use preferred names in school records where legal names are not required by law

Directs the Department of Education to update records including email addresses, identification cards, class rosters, and diplomas to reflect a student's preferred name upon request

Prohibits the Department of Education from charging fees for correcting, updating, or reissuing documents or records based on a preferred name declaration

Cites research from a 2018 Journal of Adolescent Health study showing that using transgender youths' preferred names in more contexts is associated with lower rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior

Notes that the University of Hawaii has already adopted a similar preferred name policy to foster an inclusive campus environment