Representative Justin Woodson has been elected to serve and representative Central Maui since 2013. He currently chairs the House Committee on Education and has served in various other leadership roles in the State Legislature for several years. Recently, Representative Woodson has aided House legislative efforts to codify quality mechanisms in statute which has enabled Hawaiʻi to maintain one of the most effective pre-kindergarten programs in the nation, according to the National Institute for Early Education and Research, a leading institution in the United States on the topic of early learning and education. During this time frame, Representative Woodson has also helped establish the Hawaiʻi Promise Program in all University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges. The Promise Program provides free college to Hawaiʻi students with any financial need. In 2018, Representative Woodson strengthened STEM education Hawaiʻi’s public schools by introducing and passing a measure to formalize computer science within the DOE’s K-12 grade curriculum, strengthening STEM education in Hawaiʻi’s public schools. In 2020, Representative Woodson helped legislative efforts on behalf of the State House to set up the necessary program infrastructure to expand universal access to high-quality early learning opportunities across the state. The San Francisco Federal Reserve recognized this bill as one of the most progressive early childhood bills passed out of state legislatures across the country in 2020. In 2022, Representative Woodson worked with other Legislators and community stakeholders to increase teacher compensation for educators across the state.
Current assignment referenced in the congressional directory.
