STAND. COM. REP. NO. 115-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2240

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2240 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAII EDUCATOR LOANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds into and out of the Hawaii Educator Loan Program Revolving Fund for the Hawaii Educator Loan Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education; University of Hawaiʻi System; State Public Charter School Commission; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Educator Loan Program (Program) was established to recruit college students to become educators and ensure that these graduates teach in Hawaii's public schools. Specifically, the Program provides loans to students and allows for those loans to be forgiven after completion of a teaching education program and moving on to teach in a position that meets the requirements of the Program.

Your Committee further finds that Hawaii continues to face an increasing shortage of qualified teachers. Your Committee recognizes that the seven-year service requirement may be a deterrent to increased Program participation. Your Committee further recognizes that students and teachers who agree to teach in a public charter school are just as deserving of the loans that are provided under the Program to individuals teaching at a Department of Education school.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the Hawaii Educator Loan Program to:

(A) Open eligibility for students and teachers who agree to teach as a full-time teacher in a public charter school;

(B) Decrease the service requirement for total loan forgiveness to five years; and

(C) Increase the percent of the total loan award to be waived annually to twenty percent;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2240, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2240, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair