Report Title:

DOE; Special Education; Felix Stipend Program Special Fund

Description:

Establishes the Felix stipend program special fund into which shall be deposited moneys received as repayment from students who have breached their contractual agreements under the Felix stipend program.  Appropriates funds from the special fund to provide tuition assistance to students for the Felix consent decree recruitment and retention program, or any successor programs, and related costs.  (HB15 CD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	15
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		H.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 2
		C.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that under the Felix stipend program and through a memorandum of agreement, special tuition waivers from the department of education are made available to qualified candidates who enroll in special education teacher preparation programs at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate levels.  In exchange for these tuition waivers, teacher candidates agree to work for the department of education in the field of special education for a period of three to five years.

However, since the program's inception in 1998, there have been instances of students who have not met their contractual obligations under the Felix stipend program and have, therefore, breached their contractual agreements with the department of education.

The purpose of this Act is to create a special fund into which shall be deposited moneys received as repayment from students who have breached their contractual agreements under the Felix stipend program.  The special fund will in turn be used to provide tuition assistance to students for the Felix consent decree recruitment and retention program, or any successor programs, and related costs.

SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A- Felix stipend program special fund. (a)  There is established the Felix stipend program special fund, into which shall be deposited all moneys received as repayment from students due to a breach in contractual agreements under the Felix stipend program, which offers tuition waivers for qualified candidates who enroll at the University of Hawaii in special education teacher programs at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate levels in exchange for their agreement to work for the department for a period of three to five years immediately following completion of their teacher preparation program.

(b)  The special fund shall be administered and used by the department to provide ongoing funding for the provision of tuition assistance to students for the Felix consent decree recruitment and retention program, or any successor programs, and related costs."

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the Felix stipend program special fund the sum of $250,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 to provide tuition assistance to students for the Felix consent decree recruitment and retention program, or any successor programs, and related costs.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4.  New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.