STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1553
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.C.R. No. 79
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 79 entitled:
"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO CREATE A PLAN FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MARITIME COLLEGE AND TO ESTABLISH A MARITIME COLLEGE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is
to urge the University of Hawaii to convene a working group to create a plan
for the establishment of a maritime college and to establish a maritime
college.
Your Committee received testimony in
support of this measure from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
Local 142. Your Committee received
comments on this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System.
Your Committee finds that maritime colleges
combine critical career technical training with the well-rounded curriculum of
a baccalaureate degree program to prepare individuals for maritime
careers. Despite a shortage of mariners
in the State, Hawaii does not have a maritime college. Given that many Hawaii residents cannot
afford to attend college outside of the State, establishing a state maritime
college would increase access to the education necessary for maritime careers
for Hawaii residents and would allow Hawaii's maritime industry to hire skilled
workers from within the State, rather than from outside of Hawaii. This measure therefore addresses the lack of
educational maritime opportunities in the State to help develop a robust,
highly skilled local mariner workforce.
Your Committee has
amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting
legislative findings suggesting that this body considers all offshore energy
production to be marine energy;
and
(2) Making
technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and
consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 79, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 79, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,
|
|
________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair |
|
|
|