STAND. COM. REP. NO. 353-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2684

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 Higher Education & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 2684 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT HILO,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the Institute of Indigenous Education, Science, and Outreach within the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii at Hilo; Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki; Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu; and numerous individuals.

Your Committee finds that the bilingual work of the College of Hawaiian Language and Imiloa Astronomy Center is especially important to the State because the State's two official languages are Hawaiian and English. Your Committee further finds that establishing an Institute for Indigenous Education, Science, and Outreach within the University of Hawaii at Hilo would allow the Imiloa Astronomy Center's year-round scheduling flexibility to extend to the College of Hawaiian Language and would give the Center and College greater opportunities to develop Hawaiian-language proficiency and Hawaiian-language-medium early education sites and programs. Your Committee believes that this measure would also be crucial to the development of a Hawaiian-language-medium early education pathway, reduce the State's significant shortage of Hawaiian-language-medium education teachers, expand the reach of the College of Hawaiian Language and Imiloa Astronomy Center, and serve as a model for language education for other indigenous and marginalized groups.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2684, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2684, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education & Technology,

____________________________

AMY A. PERRUSO, Chair